Two Pink Lines
by starbrite4584b
Summary: Picks up at the end of the Revival Season. Rory thinks that she is going to have to do it alone. She prepares to become a single mom, but her grandmother has other ideas and she, along with an unlikely partner in crime, do some classic meddling in order to make sure that doesn't happen. Follow Rory and Logan on their journey to becoming parents that begins with two pink lines.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own these characters. If I did, I would have never let Rory walk away from Logan's proposal and they would have had at least 2 or 3 babies during the revival.

A/N: It is just a new story I am kicking around. I haven't written for a really long time, but I just feel like this story is jumping out of my brain. Please let me know what you think and if you want me to continue.

She sat there and stared at the little white stick in her hand. Two pink lines blazing against the yellow background. How did this happen? How did her life end up like this? She was a planner! She made pro-con lists about every important decision in her life! So how was she sitting in her mother's bathroom, at the age of 32, unemployed, broke, and pregnant with Logan Huntzberger's baby; who by the way was engaged to someone else and living in London. They had been safe, at least she thought that they had been safe, she had drank quite a bit that night, but they were always careful. . . but none the less here she was, pregnant and she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do. She knew one thing for sure, abortion was not on the table; despite the fact that it would be a relief to not be in this situation, the long term mental guilt and anguish from terminating the baby that was growing inside her, a baby that she had conceived with the great love of her life, would kill her slowly every day for the rest of her life. Sure, she was all about a woman's right to choose, she always had been, but actually being in the situation and despite being terrified of the future, she just knew that would not ever be the choice for her.

She slowly picked up her cell phone and dialed her best friend's number. As she waited for Lane to pick up, her stomach was in knots and her head was spinning. Finally, after the 4th ring, just as she thought it was going to go to voicemail, Lane answered breathlessly.

"Hey Ror, whats up? Sorry it took me a second to get to the phone, Kwan's ipad died so he decided to use MY phone to continue to play his games." She rambled quickly into the phone. "oh the joys of motherhood, where everything that's yours is theirs and everything that is theirs is theirs…"

"So, speaking of motherhood. . . ." Rory interrupted her ". . .I think I may be pregnant"

She was met with a long pause on the other end of the line, followed by a deep breath "OK, wow, so. . . why do you think you may be pregnant?" Lane asked, trying to remain calm and be the voice of reason. She could only imagine how many things were going through Rory's head at this moment.

"Well, I haven't had a period in 2 months and I took 5 pregnancy tests, and they all said positive" Rory replied, her mouth dry and her hands shaking; she knew her voice was higher pitched than normal and it sounded like it was on the verge of cracking. "But they can be wrong right? You can have a false positive? I mean I have been really stressed lately, so that is probably why I haven't had my period. . . and maybe I just have some type of hormone imbalance which is why I have been moody and it just triggered a false positive, OH! I think I read somewhere once that if you have some type of tumor or something that it can produce hCG and give you a false positive. . .omg I have CANCER, I am not pregnant, I am just dying. . . which I guess isn't really any better but at least now I don't have to call halfway around the world and tell the man I have loved since I was 19 years old that I am pregnant, I just have to you know tell everyone I have cancer. . . that will be terrible, you know the whole having cancer thing but at least I am not pregnant. . ."

Lane took that moment to jump into the rant that was quickly spiraling out of control "Rory!" the incoherent rant continued "Rory! Stop! You don't have cancer! And you don't know for sure that you are pregnant yet, although most signs are pointing towards the fact that you are. Lets take a deep breath. . ." she waited a second to hear Rory take a breath on the other end of the phone, "okay, so lets take this one step at a time, okay?"

Rory responded with a weak "Okay, step one I guess was to buy a pregnancy test and take it. . . so I guess we can cross that one off the list. . . wow I feel accomplished already" she trailed off feeling herself about to slip into another rant. Luckily, Lane took control of the conversation again.

"Okay, so step number two is going to be scheduling an appointment with your doctor to confirm your pregnancy and get you some pre-natal vitamins and an initial checkup to make sure that you and my future niece or nephew is healthy."

Rory felt the anxiety starting to well up again in her stomach. Making a doctors appointment made it so real, so final. Once she made that appointment and they came back and told her that she was pregnant, that she was going to be a mother to a tiny little baby boy or girl, it was real; there would be no more pretending, no more freaking out, she would have to put her big girl pants on and start getting ready to have a baby. . .alone. "Okay, I can call them right now and set up an appointment." She paused for a second and sighed again, thinking about how much she didn't want to do this by herself, how much she wanted someone there with her when she received what was supposed to be glorious news, but in actuality was far from glorious. "Lane, will you go with me? I don't think I can do this by myself and I don't want to ask my mom. She has so much going on with her wedding coming up, and she has been very vocally against this whole situation I have had going on with Logan, and I just need someone there, someone to be excited when I get the news, someone to be excited for me because I know that I am not going to be able to be excited, but this precious innocent baby inside of me deserves to have someone be excited for them, please?" She stopped talking, and waited for the answer, already knowing what it would be. Lane and her had been best friends for as long as she can remember, she knew that there was not a chance in the world that she would not be there next to her, but she still had to ask.

"Of course I will be there! I wouldn't miss it for anything; and while you are still processing all of this, I will be happy for that little baby inside of your belly until you are in the place where you can be too. You are my best friend Rory, you always have been and always will be, and I will be here for you every single day as much or as little as you need me." Lane started to tear up a little bit, thinking of how scared Rory must be. She remembered when she and Rory found out that she was pregnant almost 10 years ago and how terrified she had been; but, Rory was there and she held her hand and she listened to her freak out. Now it was her turn to be there for Rory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately still do not own these characters**

 **A/N: I know it is short, but I will try and get more out later today.**

Chapter 2

Logan looked at his watch as he hurried to the elevator; he was going to be late for his early morning meeting, but he had realized about an hour after he got to work that he forgot one of his portfolios at his flat and it was vital for the meeting he was possibly going to be late for.

Things had been different since his 'last goodbye' with Rory at that quaint little inn in New Hampshire. It had only been 3 days, but it felt like it has been months. He hadn't been able to focus and he just wasn't happy. Odette was a nice enough woman, but she was the stereotypical socialite and their relationship was based completely on societal obligations. He knew she didn't love him, that she loved his status in society and his bank account; just as he was sure she knew he didn't love her. She was the complete opposite of Rory, and he was miserable. Over the last few years after he and Rory had reunited in London, he had at least been able to bear the situation with Odette because when he was with Rory, he didn't have to think about it all. He knew it wasn't fair to her to be the 'other woman' but that was the only way she would let him have her in his life and he was too selfish to let her go. Things had changed when Odette moved in though, his parents had been getting on him about moving things along with her and actually acting like an engaged couple that was going to be married within a year. He knew that once they were married, they would be expected to bring the next line of Huntzbergers into the world and he dreaded it. It just felt wrong, it felt wrong to make those plans with anyone other than Rory.

He entered his flat and didn't bother to call out, figuring that she was at some type of social function; she had gotten up and gotten ready when he got up for work at 6:00 that morning and driveled on about some type of something or other that he just had smiled and nodded and told her he hoped she had fun. As he hurried into the bedroom to grab the portfolio from his desk, he didn't register the sight before him immediately, but then his brain caught up with him and he realized that he had just walked into his fiancé in bed with another man. He stood there shocked for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak. "Sorry to interrupt you, I just forgot my portfolio, I didn't realize you were going to have company or I would have called first."

Odette's head whipped around, a mortified look on her face while the man below her just looked terrified. "Umm, Logan. . .hi. . .I didn't expect you home until this evening" she stuttered out as she turned and grabbed the sheet, wrapping it around her in an unnecessary display of modesty considering the situation.

"Obviously." He replied calmly. He wasn't hurt that she had cheated on him, he was just angry that she had done it in his bed and shown him such a complete disrespect. He knew that it was a double standard, but he was angry. "If you could get dressed and join me in the living room" he paused and finally acknowledged the man in his bed, recognizing him from a dinner party they had been at the week before. "And if you could please make your way out the same way you came in, I need to speak with my fiancé alone." The man just nodded wide-eyed, grabbing his clothes off the floor and hurrying out of the bedroom while trying to get dressed.

Logan gave him a minute then walked silently into the living room, dreading the conversation he was about to have with Odette. She joined him a moment later, endless apologies falling from her lips; he sat there silently, waiting for her to finish. When he realized that she was in full blown panic mode, he opted to interrupt her instead with a simple statement "It is over. Get your stuff and get out."

She looked at him wide eyed, started to argue, but saw the cold resolute in his eyes. It was over, she had messed up and gotten caught cheating on the Huntzberger heir, the man she was supposed to marry and have children with. She knew it wasn't fair that there was such a double standard in society, she was expected to turn her head as he slept with whomever he desired and not say a word, pretend it wasn't happening; however, she did not have that luxury. She was supposed to bring the next line of Huntzbergers into the world, and how would they ever know for sure that they were his children if it was common knowledge that she had been sleeping with other men. "I'm sorry Logan" she said quietly "I will have someone come get my things this afternoon." With that statement, she grabbed her purse and walked out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Still don't own any of the characters**

 **A/N: I know that it has been a lot of Logan, but since I had started his story three months behind Rory finding out that she was pregnant, I wanted to catch up his timeline and get them in the same place. I promise the next chapter will be Rory :) Please enjoy and make sure you review!**

Chapter 3

Logan instinctively picked up the phone to call Rory; he was just about to hit send when he stopped himself. That wasn't fair to her. She had said her goodbye to him and he had seen the sadness in her eyes. He couldn't blow back into her life less than a week later, telling her that he had ended things with Odette and wanted to be with her instead. That was too much to throw on her right now. He put his phone back in his briefcase next to the portfolio that he had forgotten and laughed silently to himself; at least he had remembered to grab it after everything that had went on that morning.

He headed back into the office and sat down in his chair behind the modern glass desk. He shoved his hand through his short blond hair and then down his face, covering his mouth for a moment before reaching for the phone to inform his father of the recent events. "Good Morning Gloria" Logan said when his father's secretary answered the phone, "Can I speak with my father please? It is of utmost importance." He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Of course Mr. Huntzberger, I will transfer you right away"

The line went silent for a moment before ringing through to his father's office. Mitchum answered the phone after the second ring, "Logan, my boy, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Logan took a large breath and just said the words "Dad, the wedding is off. I caught Odette screwing another man in my bed this morning." He calmly waited for his father's reply.

Mitchum had definitely not expected this conversation when he answered the phone, but for once he found himself agreeing with a decision his son made. "Okay, I will call the PR team to see how we will handle this going forward. I think the best thing will be to have this go away quickly and quietly." His mind was already in damage control mode and he was not really paying attention to his son on the other line. He knew Logan didn't love Odette, that wasn't the purpose of their marriage, and he knew that Logan wasn't going to be faithful to her throughout their marriage; however, he could not have her running around on his son, possibly bringing a baby into this world that she was passing off as a Huntzberger but was not.

Logan was slightly taken back that his father simply agreed with him. He tentatively answered him "Yes, I think that would be best."

After a short conversation discussing some possible ways to handle the situation, Logan and his father ended their conversation with Logan's assurance that he would call the PR office and cooperate with whatever they suggested.

)( )(

It had been three months since his engagement ended, and in those three months he had reached for the phone countless times to call her; but, he never followed through. He knew he loved her, he knew they belonged together, but he also knew that he wasn't always good for her. The last few years he had not been fair to her, he knew that and it made him feel ashamed. Yes, she was a grown woman and had went along with the whole thing, in fact she had been dating Pete or Paul or whatever his name was for 2.5 or 3 years, almost the entirety of their affair; but that didn't matter, she deserved better and he hadn't given it to her. They had hung onto the love they shared, but she had so many emotional scars from growing up without her father, watching her mom in one dead end relationship after another, never being able to commit and let herself be happy. They had many conversations about this topic over the years, he knew that was why she said no when he proposed at her graduation party; she had never had a positive role model for a healthy relationship and neither had he. He grew up with parents who barely tolerated each other but would put on a good face when they were at society events. His father had a slew of mistresses and his mother just turned her head and would go and spend his father's money on something new and shiny for herself instead.

Looking back he can see that the biggest mistake he had made was giving her that ultimatum; who knows where they would be right now if he had just given her the concession of staying together but living their lives apart for a little while. Maybe, just maybe she would have gotten out there and realized that being away from him wasn't what she wanted and she would have come to California and they could have started their lives together. Instead, he had pushed her away, and then when he ran into her in London a few years later, instead of telling her what he really wanted, he kept her at arms length and played along with her "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" approach to the two of them. She had been so adamant that no one know about them, it had stung deep the first time they were out in public and they saw a mutual friend and she quickly turned around and darted away, pulling him with her, before they were seen together. Because she had been so anti-relationship with him, he didn't fight too hard when his mother had pushed him and Odette together, saying how they would be the perfect society couple. When he told Rory, he saw the initial sadness and jealousy in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up and told him that she understood and gave him her blessing to pursue the relationship with Odette; that moment is when he thought for sure what they had was going to be over, but to his surprise she continued to call him and show up at his flat any time she was in London. Before he knew it, 3 years had flown by and he still had her by his side in private, but in public he had Odette; now though, now he had no one and he could only blame himself.

He looked around his flat, full of boxes and nothing on the walls and it felt like the end of a chapter in his life. This place was full of too many memories, memories of him and Rory that just smacked him in the face every time he walked in. He needed a fresh start, so he had went to his father and asked to be transferred back stateside to run one of the company's holdings, and surprisingly, Mitchum had agreed to it without argument. The London social circuit had gotten wind of the broken engagement, as had the French circuit; they had tried to keep it quiet, but socialites are not known for keeping any type of juicy gossip to themselves, so as soon as word of Odette's indiscretion had reached one socialite, it had spread like wildfire through society. Logan could hardly handle all the looks of sympathy he had gotten, as well as all the women who so graciously offered to take his place. It was exhausting to pretend to care about a broken engagement that he never wanted to be in in the first place. So off he was going, back to the states to oversee a paper that HPG had acquired in New Hampshire.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them**

 **A/N: Wow, this story is just falling out of my brain and onto the pages. Here is some Rory for all of you looking forward to reading her POV. I am working on the next chapter already and I have both Rory and Logan on the same timeline now. Expect a little bit of both in the next chapter. Enjoy and please remember to review :D**

Chapter 4

Rory sat in the doctor's office in one of those thin gowns with no back and wondered why they kept the office so cool. You would think a place that consistently has women naked from the waist down in very thin gowns would keep their office a little warmer; but then again warmth is a breeding ground for bacteria and with the number of patients in here each day that the amount of bacteria that would accumulate is just astounding, yep definitely would rather be cold.

Dr. Francis walked in, interrupting her mental rant. "Good Morning Ms. Gilmore, I have your results. Congratulations, you are going to be a mom! Although I am sure you already knew that and this was just semantics" he announced with a smile on his face, completely oblivious to the internal battle that was going on inside of his patient.

Rory looked over to Lane and squeezed her hand and as promised, she was beaming with a smile from ear to ear. "Rory, you are going to be an amazing mother, I just know you are." Lane leaned over and gave her a hug and then returned to her seat, still holding her hand supportively.

Dr. Francis waited for the moment to pass, then continued. "Since you are already here, we can go ahead and get your initial exam completed. I will be able to tell you how far along you are, although based on the date of your last period I am going to say you are about 15 weeks so your conception date would be about 13 weeks ago. Does that sound about right to you?" He looked over at her and smiled.

"Yes that sounds right" she replied, forcing a smile on her face and keeping the tears at bay. 13 weeks ago. That was the night in New Hampshire Inn; their final goodbye gave her quite the parting gift.

He handed her a clipboard with several papers on it; one was the insurance information, the next was a place for the mother and father's information, and the rest were all family history questions. "I believe we have your insurance information on file since you are a regular patient here, but if there have been any recent changes please update them here. The rest of the pages, you can take home and bring back at your next appointment."

Rory stared at the papers then looked over to Lane, silently communicating how hard this moment was. She knew that putting his name down on these papers wouldn't go outside of this office and she knew that the best thing to do was include as much family history on both sides as possible. Luckily, she had known Logan for 14 years, so she could answer most of the questions no problem. Putting his name down didn't mean she had to call him.

"So, since you are 15 weeks along, we can use an abdominal ultrasound and you will be able to hear the heart beat today and I will do some measurements to verify how far along you are" Dr. Francis continued on "Also, if you are interested in the genetic testing for Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18, you are in the window right now for those. You are still young enough that your age doesn't increase your risk of Down syndrome, and the tests are completely optional. But first I am going to do a quick exam and make sure everything is ok with your cervix and do the standard cultures for a pap smear."

After he completed the exam, he put took her legs down and adjusted the sheet so that she was more comfortable. He lifted up the gown so that her stomach was exposed and pulled out a tube of gel, squeezing it onto her stomach, then reached over and turned the monitor so she could see the screen. Suddenly, she was seeing her baby for the first time on the screen and the whole world seemed to fade away, she could not stop staring at this tiny little life inside of her; their little hand moved up to their face and it looked like they were sucking on their thumb. It was amazing and beautiful and she could feel the tears falling down her face. "That is my baby," she said completely amazed "I really have a tiny little human inside of me, that is so amazing"

"It is a beautiful thing for sure," Lane said beside her, tearing up herself as she finally saw a look of excitement on Rory's face.

"Would you like to hear the heartbeat now?" Dr. Francis asked her.

"Yes, please!" Rory responded excitedly. This was so surreal, she couldn't believe that she was laying here looking at her and Logan's baby and was about to hear the heartbeat for the first time. A moment of sadness washed over her; he should be here. He should be experiencing all of this with her. But he wasn't. He was in London with Odette probably doing some type of wedding planning.

She was jolted out of her internal emotional spiral by the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

"The heart beat is nice and strong and everything looks good. Your baby is about 3.5 inches long and about the size of an apple. It is still a bit early to tell you the gender, but you should be able to find out at your next appointment, which baring any complications, will be at 20 weeks. So unless you have any other questions, you can go ahead and get dressed and head out front to schedule your next appointment." He grabbed a towel and wiped off her stomach and brought her gown down over her stomach.

"No, I can't think of any questions right now." Rory responded "My head is still spinning, I am sure I will think of some by my next appointment."

Dr. Francis reached down and grabbed the pictures that printed out and handed them to Rory. "Here is your baby's first picture." He smiled, patted her leg and then got up to leave the room. "Congratulations Ms. Gilmore, I will see you again in a few weeks. If you think of anything between now and then, just give the office a call." He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Rory sitting there still slightly dazed with a smile on her face.

Rory turned to Lane and her smile got a little bigger "Lane, there is really a baby inside of me. How cool is this? Did you feel this way when you were pregnant and got your first ultrasound?"

Lane smiled and fondly remembered the first ultrasound she had of the twins "Yes, yes I did, and then I almost fainted at the next one when they saw a second baby and heard a second heartbeat!" She chuckled softly, remembering the pure shock she had when she found out she was having not just one, but two babies. "But I am sure that won't happen to you." She stood up and started to walk to the door. "I will let you get dressed ok? Just meet me out in the lobby." With that she walked out the door and left her best friend to process what had just happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters**

 **A/N: Please be open minded with the way I am steering Rory. I promise that it will all come together. Enjoy :D It is after midnight and I have to be up for church in the morning, but this chapter just had to be written. I still feel like it is missing something, but I am sure the next chapter will have it in there. I am just too tired to write anymore tonight. As always, please review with your thoughts and constructive criticisms. Thanks!**

Chapter 5

Rory sat there staring at her phone. She was sitting in her old bedroom, the one with her twin size bed and Yale paraphernalia scattering the walls, and she felt the walls closing in on her. She knew she could not stay here. She just couldn't live in her mother's house, in her old room, and prepare to have a baby. Finally she picked up the phone and pulled up the familiar number. Three rings and the call connected.

"Hello, Rory, is that you?" She heard her Grandmother on the other end of the line, and then her picture came into view. She had introduced Emily Gilmore to FaceTime a few months ago and it was now her preferred mode of communication "Is everything okay? You don't look well. Have you been sleeping? And please tell me you are eating well, that diet of you and your mother really makes me worry sometimes, I honestly don't know how the two of you don't weigh 300 pounds." Emily continued on in one of her classic rants and Rory just smiled and waited for a moment to jump in.

"Hello Grandma, yes I am fine and don't worry, I have been eating a lot better lately. In fact last night I even ate a salad without anyone forcing it upon me!" Rory smiled proudly "But I did not call you to discuss my eating habits nor did I call for you to worry about me. I called because I have a huge favor to ask of you." She smiled her sweetest smile and gave her Grandmother an opportunity to respond.

"What can I do for you dear? You know that you're my favorite granddaughter and I would gladly do anything to help you" Emily smiled matter-of-factly and gave her granddaughter a moment to respond.

"Well, it is a really big favor, like pretty much the biggest favor I have ever asked you for and probably the biggest favor I will ever ask you for." Rory took a deep breath and then just jumped feet first "Can I move into your house in Hartford? I know you have moved to Nantucket and you planned on selling the house, but I just can't stand to see it sold nor can I stand to see all of you and Grandpa's things sold in an estate sale. I want to live there, I want to be able to sit in his study surrounded by his old books and take in the rich smell of the mahogany and cigars, and I want to eat dinner in the dining room that we had so many family dinners together at. I want to be surrounded by all the memories of parties and get-togethers that we had over the years. I know it is a lot to ask, and I understand if it is too much. But I can't live here Grandma; I just can't live here in my mom's house, in my old room, and pretend that everything is ok. I just can't." Rory paused for a moment and took a deep breath and waited for her Grandmother's response.

"Of course you can Rory!" Emily responded immediately with very little thought to the request "I will call the real estate agent immediately and get it taken off the market. I haven't been able to go through with the estate sale yet. I just couldn't stand to see all the stuff sold off." Emily took a breath and wiped the tear from her eye as she thought about the large empty home that she had lived in for 50 years. She didn't really want to sell it, but she knew Lorelai would never move in there, and she hadn't thought Rory would want to either but the thought of living there without her Richard just didn't feel right. "After I get off the phone with the Real Estate company, I will get the staff set up for you as well. That is far too much house for you to take care of by yourself, and I simply won't hear of you not having at least two maids and a cook. That my dear will be a deal breaker." Emily stated resolutely, leaving little room for Rory to argue with her.

"Okay Grandma, if you insist and it is a deal breaker, I will not argue with you." Rory laughed as she responded. Normally, she would argue, saying she didn't need a maid or a cook, but the truth was, she did. She was pregnant and single, she would need someone there to help her; besides, she had absolutely minimal cooking skills and she knew she needed to eat more healthy since she was now responsible for the health of this tiny human as well.

Speaking of the tiny human, she had not shared the news with her Grandmother yet that she was expecting a child. She had been nervous about telling people, but she knew that she had to tell her and she had to do it early, before she had an opportunity to find out from someone else. Rory knew that would crush Emily, she had seen time and time again over the years the way her face would fall and then her back would stiffen and all emotion would leave her eyes every time she heard about any of Lorelai's big life events from someone else. Rory couldn't do that to her, she was too important to her and she had always been there for her, supporting her in the way she knew how. This was the perfect opportunity to tell her. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Grandma, there is one other thing I need to tell you. I don't know how you are going to react, but I don't think you are going to be too happy with me. I have gone and made a mess of things Grandma, a complete mess." She started to cry but took a breath and pulled it back, in the way that all the women in her family were able to do.

"What is it Rory?" Emily asked concerned "I am always here for you, you know that. Whatever it is, we will figure it out." She had changed since the day Richard had passed away, she had reflected on all the mistakes she had made in her relationship with Lorelai and she was determined not to do the same with Rory. This was her second chance.

"Well Grandma, a few years ago I started seeing Logan again." Rory tentatively started. Her Grandmother knew full well that Logan was engaged and had been in a relationship with Odette in the couple years prior to that. "We have been having a secret affair for the last almost 4 years. I ended things about 3 months ago once Odette moved in with him, but the night I ended it. . ." Rory paused for a second, she knew it was too late to back out now and she just charged forward ". . . the night I ended it, he got me pregnant. I took the test last week and went to the doctor today and it was confirmed." She reached over and grabbed the ultrasound and held it up "This is your great-grandchild Grandma." She looked into the screen of her phone and watched the emotions cross her grandmother's face; she wasn't sure what to expect next, but she waited for Emily to process the information she had just thrown at her.

"I guess we will have to add a nanny to the staff as well then." Emily stated, still trying to process what she had just been told. "Have you told him yet? If so, what did he say, if not, are you going to? You know Hartford society is very small and it will get back to him eventually." Emily told her, trying to be practical in the situation.

"No Grandma, I haven't told anyone yet other than you and Lane; and, we won't need the nanny for another 6 months." Rory responded, slightly surprised at her grandmother's calm reaction. "I know I have to tell him, but he is in London and he is engaged, and it is a big mess. It would be a society nightmare. Can you imagine the ladies at the DAR once they get ahold of this tidbit? You don't think they will kick me out do you?" Rory hadn't gone to a DAR meeting in quite some time, but she enjoyed the connections it brought and she had always planned on attending them again, once she was a bit older and more established in her life.

Emily looked shocked "You mean you haven't heard? Logan called off the engagement about 3 months ago. Apparently he found her in bed with another man when he came home unexpectedly. They tried to keep it quiet, but you know how it is, there is no keeping that one out of the gossip mill." Emily thought about the timeline quickly in her head. "In fact, if you do decide to tell him, which I am not telling you that you have to do, the timing would be perfect. You two could tell everyone that after his engagement was called off the two of you ran into one another and the old flame rekindled, but you knew it wouldn't be proper for him to be in a relationship so quickly after a failed engagement so you were keeping it on the down low." Emily was quite proud of herself for thinking so quickly on her feet, but she didn't want Rory to think she was trying to take control of the situation. "How you handle it though, dear, is completely up to you."

Rory's stomach dropped. Logan had been single for three months and he hadn't called her once. To her, the writing on the wall is pretty clear. "I hadn't heard that Grandma," Rory sighed slightly and pinched the bridge of her nose before continuing, "you are right though, if I do decide to tell him and we do manage to work it out then we can definitely avoid such a big society scandal." Rory covered her mouth and yawned, she had been exhausted constantly and she knew it was just going to get worse the further along she got. "But I am really tired Grandma, I think I am going to take a nap before dinner. Do you think it would be okay for me to move into the house tomorrow? Is that enough time for you to get everything in order?"

"Yes dear, tomorrow should be fine." Emily responded. Then she thought of something Rory had said earlier "Rory, darling, did you say earlier that you had only told your friend Lane about this? Does that mean you told me before you told your mother?" Emily was beaming.

Rory laughed a small laugh and shook her head. She had wondered if Emily had caught onto that little morsel of information. "Yes Grandma, I told you before I told mom. I had confided in her about the whole Logan situation a few months ago, and she was not exactly happy about the situation and made her feelings very well known. I am not sure how I am going to tell her, nor do I know how I am going to tell her that I am moving into the house in Hartford. You know she has always wanted me to stay far far away from Hartford Society." Rory sighed and laid her forehead on her hand and then looked back at her Grandma. "I am really very thankful for you Grandma, I don't know what I would do without you. I know that mom ran away from that life when she had me, and I had a great childhood and she was a great mom, but we struggled so much more than we had to and that isn't the life I want for my child. If I have the ability to let them grow up without having to worry about having enough money for the things they need, I don't want to; but I know she isn't going to agree with my decision and we both know how headstrong and opinionated my mother can be, especially when you disagree with her. I don't know what to do Grandma, I really just don't know what to do." The tears started falling from her eyes and down her face again, and she used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe them away.

"You could always just leave her a note and leave while she is gone." Emily replied, tongue in cheek with a wicked little grin on her face. She got the response she had wanted when she saw the smile on Rory's face.

"You're too much Grandma. I love you." Rory responded with a smile on her face. "Just one more thing before I go though. You know how Grandpa insisted that I do a double major and include business as a fall back in case journalism didn't work out for me? Well, obviously the journalism thing isn't working out too great and I really need to think about how I am going to support this child if Logan isn't around; so, I was wondering if maybe you could put me in contact with someone from the Gehrman-Driscoll Insurance Corporation? See if they could maybe give me a job?" Rory knew she had been asking a lot of her grandmother today, but she also knew that Emily Gilmore would make sure that she was taken care of.

"Of course dear, I will make some calls today. We will get you something that pays well and with you being a Gilmore, I am sure you will succeed there." Emily was so proud of her granddaughter and so happy to see her coming back to the life that Lorelai had taken her away from 32 years ago.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters**

 **A/N: This chapter just didn't want to come out, it was hard to write and took a bit longer. I am already working on the next chapter but I wanted to get this out and get your thoughts. Enjoy! And please review :D**

 **Rorri Potter- In response to why insurance and not teaching or a lawyer, both of those would have required her to go back to school and that wasn't something I felt fit into the tone of the story. With already having a degree in business, she would be able to walk into the insurance company with ease.**

Chapter 6

Her Grandmother had stayed true to her word and gotten Rory a meeting with one of the senior partners at the insurance corporation. She sat near the reception desk and waited to be called back for her interview. She looked around and was quite impressed with the office, it was full of rich colors and dark wood and seemed like something out of the movies; they obviously had no desire to make a move to the sleek modern designs you saw in most corporate offices today and it seemed to fit the company well.

Floyd Stiles walked out to the reception area and saw Rory sitting there quietly. When Emily had called him and asked if he would be willing to meet with her about a job he had been surprised to say the least. Richard had talked to him many years before, when Rory was at Yale about advising her to add business as a back up major, and he knew that while Richard hoped she would not have to fall back on it, he also had planned on offering her a position at the company if she needed one. It had already been discussed by all the partners long ago, this 'interview' was just semantics at this point. "Rory, how are you?" He asked her in his typical businessman tone that displayed no real emotion. "Won't you come on back?" He shook her hand firmly and then turned to walk back into his corner office.

Rory followed behind him quickly with butterflies in her stomach. This was completely different than where she had seen her life going, but she knew it was the most logical path and that she would be able to grow in a career at this company; rise through the ranks like her grandfather had. She knew he would be so happy to see her here, entering into the same field as him, carrying on the Gilmore name at his company and that brought a smile to her face.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity Mr. Stiles," She began "it really means a lot to me." She sat down opposite of him in a very comfortable chair across from his large mahogany desk.

"Of course Rory, you are a Gilmore, you have always had a place at this company, you just had to ask for it. We are prepared to offer you a Junior Analyst position and your starting salary will be $75,000 a year." He sat back in his chair with his hands folded in front of him "You can begin as soon as you would like, we already have an office reserved for you."

Rory was taken back for a moment, she knew that salary was well above a normal starting salary of a junior analyst and she also had not expected the interview to go like this. She had brought a resume, been prepared to discuss her qualifications, or in this case lack there of, and had hoped to land on the high end of the starting salary. She definitely did not expect to just be given the job with no preamble or discussion; however, she was not going to argue for less or demand to be treated the same as someone walking in off the streets. She had long ago realized and accepted that things in Hartford society work differently than in the rest of the world; she was Richard Gilmore's granddaughter and this was his company, of course they were going to give her a job and make sure that she succeeded. "That sounds great Mr. Stiles. I look forward to working here and I plan on honoring my grandfather's legacy and carrying on the Gilmore name." She stood up and shook his hand, exchanging pleasantries and deciding on the following Monday as her first day of work before walking out of the office and heading down to her car.

She sat behind the wheel of her new Infiniti QX80; she had to tap into her trust fund to buy the SUV and had gone for all the features, at her grandmother's insistence. She knew that her tiny Prius was not going to be conducive to carting around a baby and all the things that come with it to include strollers and play pins and extra clothes etc. The baby gear alone would fill up the trunk leaving room for nothing else.

When it had just been her and she was trying to make her way in the world and 'find herself', she had no problem ignoring the money sitting in her trust fund, pretending it didn't exist and living off of what she made at her various literary ventures; but, now she had her child to think of, a child who was not only a Gilmore, but was also a Huntzberger. That child deserved to grow up in society where they belonged, it wasn't fair of her to deny them anything just because her mother had made the decision to run away from this life instead of embracing it.

Speaking of her mother, she really needed to sit down and talk to her, tell her about all the changes that had happened in the last few days. She knew that her mother wouldn't be happy about the decisions she was making, but she also knew that these decisions were her own and no one else's and her mother would just have to get used to it.

She also knew that eventually she would have to tell Logan, but she just wasn't ready yet. The fact that he had not called her at all over the last three months after ending his engagement told her all she needed to know and she wasn't sure if she could handle his rejection of her and the baby, or worse, him insisting that the two of them remain a secret and try and whisk them away to some house in Southern Maine where no one would know that she had the illegitimate Huntzberger heir. The tears started welling up in her eyes as her mind ran away with all the possible terrible outcomes of telling Logan that she was pregnant. "Stupid Hormones" she muttered then wiped her eyes and pulled out of the parking space and headed back toward Stars Hollow. She could at least get one of the announcements out of the way today.

)( )(

Logan arrived in New Hampshire and made his way to his new home in Hanover. It was not his typical type of house, but as soon as he saw it online he fell in love with it and bought it, sight unseen. It was an original cape home and was built in 1770. The Tilden house had 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and had combined modern and antique charm well. It also has 1.5 acres of land and beautiful gardens. He knew it was a bit much for just him, but he had plans of starting a family soon. The whole Odette situation really opened his eyes and made him realize how many mistakes he had made with Rory. She deserved to be his partner for the whole world to see; not someone who was hidden from the world. He knew he had a lot of making up to do, their affair had damaged the foundation of love and trust that they had always had with one another; but he planned on earning that trust back. He knew she needed time, time to figure herself out, write her book, reflect on where she was going; he had no doubt that she would come to the same conclusion as him eventually, they belong together and he was willing to do what he had to do to show her that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them**

 **A/N: I hope you are happy with this chapter. I have started on the next one but have some things to do today and am not sure if I will be able to update before tonight, so I wanted to get this out to you.**

 **As always, enjoy, and please review!**

Chapter 7

Rory pulled up to her childhood home and parked her sleek new SUV behind her mom's old Jeep. She got out and walked up to the door, taking a deep breath, putting her head up, tossing her hair behind her, she walked in the door and called out to her mom. "Mom? Mom, are you home?" she walked through the living room and toward the kitchen; she could smell the coffee brewing in the coffee pot so she knew that her mom was in here somewhere. As she walked through the doorway she saw her mom sitting at the table with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand; Lorelai looked up and smiled at her daughter.

"Hey hun, I just brewed a fresh pot, do you want some?" Lorelai got up to grab a cup for her daughter, assuming the answer would be yes.

"Uhm, I am good right now. Thank you though." Rory responded nervously, she wanted a cup so bad right now, but her doctor had told her that she should limit her caffeine intake during pregnancy because it could have ill effects on the baby. "I actually just really need to talk to you." She walked over to the table and sat down across from the seat her mother had gotten out of.

"What?" Lorelai replied shocked. "You don't want coffee? You, Rory Gilmore, lover of all things coffee, drink it at 1100 at night or 1100 in the morning, always ready for a cup of coffee, don't want coffee? What are you pregnant or something?" Lorelai said jokingly; then she saw the look on her daughter's face. "Oh my God. Are you? Are you pregnant Rory?" She sat heavily in the chair and just stared at her daughter's face, watching the tears well up in her eyes and start to fall down her cheeks.

"Yes mom, I am pregnant." Rory put her head in her hands and stares down at the table, knowing that she had to continue with the rest of her news but nervous about how her mother was going to react. "I went to the doctor a few days ago and he confirmed it. I know you are probably shocked and disappointed and don't really know what to say, so please just don't say anything that you are going to regret okay? If you can't think of something nice and supportive to say, please just keep your words to yourself." Rory was met with silence from her mother across the table and she looked up and locked eyes with her. She could see it written on her mother's face, she was disappointed and she was sad and she did not have the least bit of encouragement on her face.

"I assume it is Logans?" She asked, her voice was neutral and her mind was still processing the information that was just thrown at her by her daughter.

"Yes mom, it is Logan's. And no I haven't told him yet. I am still processing it and trying to figure things out in my head." She took a deep breath "And part of that processing and figuring things out leads me to the other thing I have to tell you. I have taken a job as a junior analyst at Gehrman-Driscoll Insurance Corporation, I start on Monday, and I am moving to Hartford, I will be moving into Grandma and Grandpa's house." Rory had sat up straight during that last statement to her mother. She was prepared for an onslaught of all the reasons why she was making a mistake and how her mother didn't agree with anything that she was doing. Instead she was met with silence; she looked at her mother and waited, still nothing.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Rory asked her, getting upset with her mother's lack of a reaction.

"Well you told me if I didn't have anything nice to say, that I shouldn't say anything. And I can't think of a single nice thing to say to you about any of this. I don't agree with any of it. This isn't you Rory! You don't get pregnant by an ex boyfriend who is engaged to someone else, you don't take a job at an insurance company, and you sure as hell don't move into my parent's house in Hartford. At least not the Rory I know, the one I raised far away from society and all that goes with it and tried to teach to be her own person. That Rory, the one that I know, she would not be telling me any of this. So I don't have anything to say." Lorelai stood up and walked over to the coffee maker to pour herself another cup, turning her back to her daughter.

"This is who I am mom! This person standing in front of you is still me, the same person you raised! And you may have spent the first 15 years of my life keeping me away from society, but it was YOU mom, YOU who drove it into my head from a young age that I was going to go to Harvard, it was YOU who went to your parents for money and put me into Chilton. YOU pushed me back into this world Mom! What did you think would happen? Did you think I would go to an Ivy League school and just keep to myself, ostracize myself from all the other students there just because they have money? Did you not think that I would meet someone while I was there? Someone from the very society that you ran away from? If you didn't want me to be a part of that world, why did you push me into it?!" Rory threw her hands in the air in exasperation when her mother didn't respond "You know what? Forget it! I don't even know why I came here, why I even attempted to talk to you about this. Maybe I should have just left a note and disappeared while you were at work like you did to Grandma 32 years ago."

With that, Rory grabbed her keys and walked out of the house. She got into her SUV and just laid her head on the steering wheel, a few tears slipping out of her eyes. It had happened exactly the way she thought it would, and now the ball was in her mother's court. When she was ready to apologize and work things out, she could come to her; for now, Rory was going to just start the next chapter in her life and try and enjoy it.

Without thinking, she grabbed her phone and dialed Logan's number. She wasn't sure why she had been waiting to tell him and his reaction couldn't be any worse than her mother's had been. She waited for the call to connect, but instead she got the operator's voice saying that the phone number was no longer in service. "Well shit." she muttered then pulled out of the driveway and headed to Hartford. She would send someone to get her boxes from her mother's house some other day. Right now she just wanted to curl up in her bed and try not to think about the fact that Logan had changed his number and she no longer had any clue how to get ahold of him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the characters**

 **A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. I know that this Emily is a bit different than what we are used to, but I hope you like it. Enjoy and as always Please Review!**

Chapter 8

It had been two weeks since the showdown at her mother's house and Rory had been throwing herself into work. She was starting to show now and her clothes were getting tight; she had been meaning to go to the mall and get some new clothes, but just hadn't found the time and to be honest shopping alone isn't all that fun.

Rory pulled up to what is now her house and saw her grandmother's car sitting out front and was pleasantly surprised to see that Emily had made the 5-hour drive to come see her. She continued around the large driveway to the side of the house and parked her SUV in the garage. She walked into the house and saw the maid looking quite frightened and skittish and could only imagine what her grandmother had said or done to make her look that way. Emily Gilmore certainly had a reputation when it came to the number of maids she had gone through. "Good afternoon Mary Ann." Rory said as sweetly as she could but still caused the poor thing to jump. "Where is my grandmother?"

The maid looked at her with wide eyes, wondering how someone as sweet as Ms. Gilmore could be the granddaughter of that ostentatious woman she had just encountered. "She is in the front sitting room Ms. Gilmore; she got here about 20 minutes ago." With that she did a small curtsey and quickly went as far in the opposite direction as she could very quickly.

Rory made her way to the front sitting room where she saw her grandmother sitting with a martini in her hand. "Good afternoon Grandma, what a pleasant surprise!" Rory exclaimed as she walked into the room. Emily stood up and Rory gave her a hug.

"Good afternoon dear, I just thought that I would come over and we could go shopping. You mentioned the other day that you need some new clothes and I also figure you would like some new bedroom furniture for the master bedroom. I highly doubt you want to sleep in the same bed that your grandfather and I slept in; it is hardly your taste and to be honest the room could use some updating." Emily put her arm around Rory and started walking towards the door. "I was thinking that we could go to Raymour & Flanigan; they have a lot of young styles that I think you would like. We also need to start buying all the furniture for the nursery and deciding how you want to decorate it. When do you find out if it is a boy or girl?" Emily was just beaming, she was completely in her element and she was so excited that Rory would be living in the house and she could still come over and visit whenever she was really missing Richard.

"I find out at my next doctor's appointment Grandma, it is in two weeks, would you like to come with me?" Rory waited for her grandmother to respond. She really didn't want to go to her appointment alone and her and her grandmother had gotten a lot closer recently, so she really wanted her to be there with her.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world sweetheart." Emily smiled fondly "Just give me the date and time and I will be there." Emily felt her heart swelling with happiness, after years of always being excluded from every big life event, she was finally being willingly included; that was all she ever wanted, was a good relationship with her daughter and granddaughter, although it looked like the damage to her relationship with Lorelai was permanent and that made her sad.

"It is the Tuesday after next at 5:30, they were willing to work around my work schedule." Rory smiled and then grabbed her purse. "Well we better get going since we have a lot of shopping to do, and I will drive since you have had that martini." Rory started to walk to the door with her purse over her left forearm. "How about we hit the furniture store first and arrange delivery, then head over to the mall and go to A Pea in the Pod to get some new clothes?" She linked her arm with her grandma, grateful for this woman and grateful for the changes she had seen since her grandfather's death that allowed her to form a closer relationship with her.

"That sounds Wonderful Rory, let's go." Emily responded happily. The two of them walked out to the garage and got into the SUV. This was the first time Emily had seen it in person so she was excited to check it all out. "Oh Rory, I just love it! It screams you."

The exterior of the SUV was a beautiful bronze and the interior was dark chocolate brown leather and wood grain inlays. She had gone with the limited model, which came standard with an entertainment system and navigation as well as wifi. It was a beautiful vehicle and the third row seating was a nice bonus; when the third row was down, the cargo space in the back was amazing.

"Thank you Grandma, I am in love with it, I am so glad you convinced me to get all the accessories." Rory backed out of the garage and headed to West Hartford to get their shopping done.

)( )(

Several hours and several thousand dollars later, Rory and Emily were pulling back into the garage. She had gotten a beautiful bed set from the furniture store. The bed was beautiful; it was called the Tiffany collection and had a beautiful silver finish on the heavy wooden furniture. The bed had a cream-colored leather inlay with crystal tufting and the drawers were adorned with a silver snakeskin inlay and beautiful crystal pulls. She had gotten the bed, two nightstands, a dresser with mirror, and a chest of drawers. She had also gotten a gorgeous purple bedding set with some off-white fur and some silver sequined accent pillows. She had also gotten a new lamp and decorative candles and a beautiful picture frame for her nightstand as well as a large mirror for the wall and various other wall decorations. Overall she was very happy with the way the room was going to look, the furniture was large enough that it would fill the space, and with a room the size of that master bedroom that was quite a feat. After they had finished buying the furniture for the master, they had bought a new couch and chairs for the front sitting room, it was similar to what was in there already but it had a slightly younger feel to it. The final room they had bought for at the furniture store had been the nursery; she picked out a beautiful gray and white crib that she fell in love with on sight; it had a curved side with raised molding creating an oval, the rails were straight across and with a white border and grey slats. She knew that it would fit with either a boy or a girl and the bedding she would buy later would define the theme. She got a coordinating dresser and changing table as well as a plush grey rocker. Once she found out if she was having a boy or a girl, she planned on going to pottery barn kids to get all the wall decorations, crib bedding, and accenting pillows and other décor. She had already decided to turn the room that her grandmother had made into her room when she was a teenager into the nursery; she had talked to the designer her grandmother had recommended about turning one of the walls into floor to ceiling shelves and planned on replacing the carpet with a plush off white carpet. All the furniture was scheduled for delivery the next day and she couldn't wait to see it all set up.

After the furniture store, they had gone to A Pea in the Pod to get her a maternity wardrobe. There were just so many cute options to pick from that she went a little overboard. First she got herself some appropriate maternity business wear to wear to work; she got several suits as well as some knee length dresses that would work both on their own for casual daywear as well as with a blazer at work. She got several pairs of jeans and leggings as well as a wide assortment of tops, tunics, and sweaters. The ladies that work there were happy to help, especially when they saw the black card that Emily had pulled out at the very beginning in order to let them know that there were no limits. She had so many bags when they left that Rory had to bring the car around the ladies that worked there carried them all out to her car for her.

Luckily, Mary Ann was waiting for her when she walked through the door. "Good Evening Mary Ann, I have several bags in the back of the car, could you please get Georgette and carry them all up to my room and put them away? Also, can you find out if dinner is on schedule to be served at 7?"

Mary Ann smiled at her and responded quickly and quietly "Yes Ms. Gilmore, dinner is still on schedule for 7 and I will get Georgette and get your bags upstairs right away. Is there anything that you would like washed or sent to the cleaners before we put them away?"

Rory thought for a minute before responding. She would need clothes for work tomorrow as well as the next day since the dry cleaning was typically a 2 day turnaround, she didn't have plans to go anywhere the following evening so she wouldn't need any of the dresses back before then either. "Yes, on second thought, please leave two of the suits and coordinating tops in the closet and then take anything that needs dry cleaning to the cleaners and wash the rest of them tomorrow during the day. Thank you Mary Ann." Rory easily dismissed the maid and then turned to her grandmother who was just smiling as she took her granddaughter in. "Well Grandma, we have about 30 minutes before dinner will be served, would you like a drink?" she asked as they made their way to the front room.

"I would love a martini." Emily replied happily. She was so pleased with the way Rory was falling into the society life with such ease, it was where she belonged and she was so thankful to have this new and wonderful relationship with her that she had always hoped for but had never had before. "I was thinking that I would stay here tonight and through the day tomorrow, make sure that the old furniture is taken over to the storage unit and the new furniture is set up correctly. After that, I think I will head back to Nantucket; how does that sound?"

By that time they had made their way into the front sitting room and Emily had started to make her drink. "I think that sounds wonderful Grandma. I have to work tomorrow and should be home around 6:00; considering you have a 5 hour drive, I assume you will be gone before I am home, but if time allows it and the delivery shows up early enough, would you like to meet at the club for a quick lunch? I get an hour, that should be enough time."

Emily happily agreed and the two of them fell into an easy dialogue about all the new furniture as well as the need for some new tapestries. Rory had always loved her grandmother's style and décor, but she really wanted to bring her own touch to the space as well. They made plans to go shopping the following weekend to get some more things for the house and then they each retired to their rooms. It felt weird for her grandmother to sleep in one of the guest rooms, so she offered her the master bedroom, but she politely declined telling her that it didn't feel right sleeping in there anymore and confided in her that she had actually switched to one of the guest rooms in the days following Richard's death. She just couldn't sleep in that bed without him in it. Rory pulled her grandmother into a hug and told her how much she loved her. She could see the toll her grandfather's death had taken on her grandmother, she was thinner now and you could just see something missing inside of her; she was trying to learn how to be Emily Gilmore without her Richard and it was obvious that it was a very hard thing for her to do.

"Come on Grandma, it is late, lets get to bed okay?" Rory linked arms with her and they walked upstairs together. "I will see you for lunch tomorrow if you aren't up when I am for breakfast, I plan on eating at 6:00 and being out of here no later than 6:30. I have some work I need to catch up on, so I have been going in early so I can get stuff done before the office really comes alive." She knew her grandmother had taken to sleeping in, so she doubted she would see her for breakfast but she still extended the invitation anyways.

"I will probably just see you for lunch dear, 6:00 is awful early for this old lady." She laughed and kissed Rory on the cheek then headed to her room. Today had been a wonderful day and she felt better than she had in months.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them**

 **A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I am really excited about this story. Next chapter is going to have Logan in it, it just took me a while to get this chapter down, so I wanted to get an update out to you sooner rather than including him in it and not getting it out until tonight. Enjoy and as always, please review!**

 **gigga-** Everything except for the way the four words were said has happened. And really if you think back to every time Rory steered herself toward society, this is exactly how Lorelai reacted; when she and Dean broke up and she came home from the party in the limo and how Lorelai looked watching her, when she took the time off from Yale and played the part of a socialite ,Lorelai didn't talk to her for months. She doesn't hate her in this, but she also is hormonal and older and doesn't want her mother trying to tell her how to live her life ;) and I went with insurance because that was the family business and it would just be one more way that she is immersing herself into the Gilmore legacy.

Chapter 9

Rory sat in her office and looked at the stack of work in front of her; she was thankful she had decided to come in early today to get ahead on her work since she had to leave early to go to her doctor's appointment. Her grandmother had come in last night and stayed the night so that they could head to the appointment together. It was a bittersweet moment for her, she was excited to be finding out if she was having a boy or a girl and she was so thankful that her grandmother was coming with her to the appointment but she really wished Logan was there.

She had been doing a lot of thinking the last few weeks and knew that she hadn't been fair in her initial assumption that he would send her off to some house in Maine and keep her a secret from society; I mean that wouldn't even be possible considering she was both a Hayden and a Gilmore. She knew he would be excited about it, I mean if he wanted to marry her right after college, he had obviously thought about them having a family as well. She was so angry with herself for letting things get to this point; for pushing him away and holding him at arms length when they ran into each other in London, for insisting on the 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' mentality, for not speaking her true feelings when he had come to her about his parents wanting him to enter a courtship with Odette, she knew that if she would have just said the words at any time that he would have gladly made what they had real and permanent and public. She hadn't though, instead she pushed her feelings down and pretended they didn't exist because she was scared, scared of everything that came with being in a relationship with him, scared of making herself vulnerable to him and giving him the ability to break her heart again; but instead, she had done that herself when she ended things with him for good in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire, that trip had been so surreal. He had always been so grandiose in his gestures, but that had been amazing; she couldn't believe he had flown halfway around the world to cheer her up after she had 'broken up' with him despite the fact that they couldn't break up since he was with Odette. She had fallen deeper in love with him that night, the night they created this baby inside of her, and she had known that she had to end it permanently before she got any deeper; then he offered her that house in Maine so she could write her book, something so big yet so personal at the same time and so very Logan.

She had been working on her book in the evenings and she had come pretty far with it, she had 16 chapters done and she hadn't even gotten to Yale yet. The comfort and warmth of her grandfather's study was the perfect place to write; it made her feel like he was there with her sometimes, cheering her on. Her grandfather would have been so proud of her for writing this book, he had always believed in her and been her biggest cheerleader; even when she had taken the year off of Yale and fallen into the socialite roll, he didn't completely agree with it, but he still supported her. If he were here now, he probably would have immediately called up Mitchum and Shira and informed them of the situation and insisted that Logan and Rory were married immediately. In fact, she was surprised that wasn't her grandmother's initial reaction to the news, and even more surprised that she would have been relieved if her grandmother had done the dirty work for her. She knew that all she had to do was ask and her grandmother would be able to make that happen; that was definitely a thought to keep in the back of her head.

)( )(

Emily and Rory arrived at the doctor's office 15 minutes before her appointment; both ladies were anxiously awaiting the news of whether Rory was going to have a little boy or a little girl. Rory wasn't sure if she had a preference, a little boy that looked just like Logan would be amazing and she knew he would have her wrapped around his little finger for the entirety of his life; a little girl would be so fun, she could dress her up and have a little 'mini-me', she would raise her to be smart and courteous and kind with a big heart. Of course, regardless of if she had a boy or a girl, they were destined to be a Yalie; that was simply non-negotiable.

The tech came out and called Rory back. She and Emily walked into the exam room and Rory excitedly got up on the exam table. This was the big ultrasound, not only was she going to find out if the baby was a boy or girl, but the doctor was going to do a ton of measurements and make sure that the baby was developing and look for any areas of concern.

After a few minutes, the doctor paused what he was doing "Hmmm," he said, "that is interesting." He turned the monitor so Rory could see what he was looking at. "Well Ms. Gilmore, it appears that there are two babies inside there. Here," he said as he moved the ultrasound wand over to the right side of her stomach "is a little boy," then he moved the wand over to the left side, "and here is a little girl."

Rory and her grandmother exchanged looks of amazement; she and Lane had joked once or twice about how much weight she had been gaining so early and that maybe she was having twins; but she never really thought that it was a possibility that she was going to have not one, but TWO babies. "Oh, wow. . .huh. . .two babies?" Rory was in shock, she looked over at her grandmother who had a similar shocked look on her face.

"Well I guess we are going to have to go get a second crib huh?" Emily said practically, breaking the mood and both of them started laughing. "I am going to have two great-grandbabies. How wonderful!" Emily's mind was already spinning with all the things that would need to be done before the babies came; including making sure that Logan knew he was going to be a father and hopefully planning a small and short notice wedding.

The rest of the appointment went well, the babies were measuring right on track and there were no areas of concern and both babies appeared to be completely healthy. The doctor did advise her that more than likely she would not make it to her due date, but they were going to try and get her as close to 40 weeks as they could. She scheduled her next appointment for 2 weeks later and then she and Emily headed out to her car. She was emotionally and physically exhausted and ready to just go home and take a nice relaxing bath; unfortunately, she couldn't take as hot of a bath as she usually did because she couldn't raise her internal temperature too high, but she would still enjoy it.

Emily stayed the night that night and while she had originally planned to go back to Nantucket the next morning, she instead spent the day shopping for more furniture for the nursery. She and Rory made plans to go shopping that Saturday to get all of the bedding and décor for the nursery and spent the rest of the week making plans. That Saturday, they spent the whole day shopping; they had decided to go with a grey and white theme for the nursery with splashes of color in various locations of both blue and pink. They had found the most adorable coordinating bedding, it was white with grey elephants; for the girl it had a tiny pink bow on its ear and for the boy it had a little blue bow tie around its neck. They got some coordinating pink and blue rugs to put under each of the cribs and the bumpers were grey and pink stripes for the girl and grey and blue stripes for the boy. By the time they had returned home that night, they were both exhausted; the next morning Emily headed back to Nantucket with promises to return for the next doctor's appointment. There was no way she was going to let Rory go to a single one alone, that was just out of the question; as much as she enjoyed this time together with Rory, she sure wished that Rory was going through all of this with Logan.

As she got behind the wheel of her new green Jaguar XJ she started to plan. Emily grabbed her phone and dialed a number that she hadn't used for quite some time, she heard the call switch to Bluetooth and play over the car speakers and after three rings it connected. "Good afternoon Shira, it is Emily Gilmore, we have a situation and I need your help."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: still don't own them. . . .well except the twins, they are coming from my brain onto the paper**

 **A/N: I hope you enjoy! I am starting on the next chapter now, but my vacation from work is over tomorrow, so I won't be able to update as often. I should still be able to do a chapter every day or so though. Let me know what you think and if there is anything you would like to see, I will see if I can work it in :D so without further ado, here is Chapter 10!**

Chapter 10

Shira hung up with Emily and walked out to the patio to smoke a cigarette. She could hardly believe the news she had just learned; Logan and Rory were having twins and Logan had absolutely no idea.

She had not been a fan of the relationship in the beginning, despite Rory having the proper names, she had not grown up in society and she didn't understand how everything worked. That had changed when Rory had taken time off of Yale and joined the DAR; she saw how sophisticated she was and how easily she fit into the society scene. After that, she was very supportive of the relationship and had been very pleased when Logan told her he was going to propose at Rory's graduation party.

She had been just as shocked as everyone else when Rory had turned down his proposal, and she had been livid with him when he had given that girl an ultimatum and then walked away. She had never really been a fan of Odette, while she was a suitable match as far as society standards go, there had been something about her that had never set well with Shira; that dislike was confirmed when Mitchum came home and told her about Logan catching her with another man in his bed. She wasn't sure how they did things in France, but in American Society, you at least waited until after you had produced the next generation and were able to get on birth control before you even considered having an affair; you definitely didn't have an affair before you were even married!

She still wasn't completely sure that she believed Emily's assurance that nothing had happened between Rory and Logan before he called off his engagement, Mitchum had told her about the time he saw the two of them together in London, but it was the story that they would all have to stick to if this was going to work; she also knew that Logan and Rory could have no idea that it was her and Emily behind them running into one another. She picked up her cell phone and called her husband. " Mitchum darling, we have a situation."

)( )(

Rory pulled up to the inn that her company had made her a reservation at. "You have got to be kidding me." She said out loud to herself. Of all the places they could have made reservations for her; this is the one that her company chose? Obviously they had no idea the significance of this place, why would they? It was just the universe laughing at her. She got out of her SUV and made her way to the check-in counter; the almost 3 hour drive wasn't bad, but one of the babies decided at that moment to make her bladder their punching bag and she had to go to the bathroom something fierce. Despite only being just shy of 6 months, with two babies in there, she looked much larger and had already started to waddle a bit when she walked. She made her way up the stairs as quick as she could and bee-lined it for the bathroom, the woman at the counter giving her a knowing look and smiling at her when she made her way to the counter to check-in.

"Good afternoon, I'm Rory Gilmore, I should have a reservation for two nights." She smiled at the lady at the front desk and idly rubbed her large round belly. "And could I please get some extra pillows?" she added as an afterthought. It was getting harder and harder to get comfortable at night and she seemed to have to put pillows all around her and sleep halfway sitting up in order to be comfortable enough to fall asleep, then just as she would drift off, one of them would kick her bladder and she would have to go to the bathroom, just to come out and start the process all over again. It was really quite exhausting, but she also loved it, she loved feeling her babies moving around inside her belly, she loved how she could feel their tiny little personalities already and could picture what they were going to look like. She still got sad from time to time and wished Logan was there to experience it too, but she was also too scared and nervous to really try and find him. She had looked for him on Facebook, but he always was changing his name on there and she had deleted him as well as Colin and Finn when she ended things, so she had not been able to find him, he had never gotten into Twitter or Instagram so she had hit a dead end.

"Of course sweetheart, I remember those days." The receptionist's voice shook her from her internal musings, "How far along are you?" she asked her sweetly and stared with a gentle smile at Rory's swollen belly.

"I'm 23 weeks tomorrow, with twins!" Rory went ahead and got that tidbit out of the way, otherwise she knew the next question would be 'oh my! You're so big for 23 weeks, are you having twins?'; she had answered that question enough in the last few weeks that she learned to lead with it. It was crazy to her how many people wanted to touch her stomach, or felt it was completely okay to remark about how large she was; it was a different world being pregnant, she got unsolicited advice and tips from basically every woman she had a conversation with that had children of their own. Some of it was nice, but most of it she just let go in one ear and out the other with a sweet smile and gentle nod of agreement.

"Oh! How wonderful, I am sure you and your husband are thrilled."

And there it was, the second statement that she had gotten used to hearing, people automatically assumed she was married, which is not an unreasonable assumption, I mean she was a woman in her 30's and pregnant, why wouldn't they think that she was married. "Very excited, and very nervous about all the work ahead of me! Although several people have told me it is better to start off with twins since you have no idea what it is like to only have one, this will be my normal." She had already learned to not correct people, then she would have to get into the details of why she wasn't married and that was just too much to go into with a total stranger; so she just talked around it, never saying she was married but also never denying it.

"Well best of luck to you, and I hope you enjoy your stay. We came under new ownership about 6 months ago, he has mainly stayed out of the day-to-day operations, but he did make some upgrades to the rooms, including brand new mattresses on every bed. I will make sure that those extra pillows get up to you, and I am just a phone call away if you need anything else." She handed Rory the key to her room and she relaxed when she saw it was not the same room that she and Logan had stayed in when she came here 6 months ago.

She made her way up the stairs to her room and was glad to see it was close to the top of the stairs. Once she got inside, she fired up her laptop and started going over the information on the property she was here to set up a policy on. It was a small newspaper not far away in West Lebanon called the Valley News; when it came in to the firm they instantly thought of her since she had a background in journalism, although she wasn't sure how that would really be an advantage in this situation. She got out her phone and dialed the number of the Editor of the paper, Mr. Schuler, to confirm their meeting for the following day. She wanted to meet at the paper so she could get a look at the building and the property and had proposed a working lunch in order to go over the policy at Yama, an Asian restaurant that had some great reviews on Yelp. She quickly got a reply confirming their meeting for the next morning at 9 and he agreed with the positive reviews of Yama; with her plans set for the next day and her extra pillows already delivered, she decided to take a relaxing bath and then get to bed early since she knew she was going to be up a lot tonight, one of the twins had camped out on her bladder and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get them to move. She got up and washed her face and brushed her teeth while waiting for the bathtub to fill and added some amazing vanilla scented bath wash that came complimentary with the room. As she laid back and closed her eyes, tears ran down her cheeks, being in this place was so full of memories and she wished things were different. She said a silent prayer to the universe that this would all work out and then tried to force the sadness from her mind.

The next morning she woke up surprisingly rested, the bed was so comfortable and she had slept better than she had in weeks, she still had gotten up at least 10 times to go to the bathroom, but she was able to fall back to sleep quickly. She got up without having to hit snooze on her alarm and got ready for her meeting. She was so glad that A Pea in the Pod had so many great business options for maternity wear; today she decided to go with her grey pinstripe suit with a form fitting red shirt under the jacket. She loved how this shirt made her stomach look; it had some rouching on the side and really accentuated her very large baby bump. She slipped on some black ballet flats since she had given up on wearing heels, it just wasn't worth the pain, did a quick check of her makeup and headed out the door for her morning meeting at the Valley News.

)( )(

Logan was settling into his role at the Valley News well, it was a paper with great bones and he had very few minor but vital changes to make and then he was quite sure that it would be very successful. He planned to keep the editor as well as most of the staff in place, but there were a few adjustments with some of the younger journalists that he was going to put into motion. The paper just wasn't large enough for the number of people they had on staff; however, HPG had a reputation to maintain so he would offer any of the staff that he didn't plan on keeping at the Valley News a position at another HPG holding and pay for their moving expenses. Mr. Benjamin Schuler was a solid editor and he had no doubt that once he made the adjustments that Logan was proposing he would be able to turn the paper back around.

Logan had gotten a call from his father a few days before saying that he was going to be setting up a meeting with the insurance company he uses for all other HPG assets stating that his review of the current insurance policy was unsatisfactory and needed to be switched over as soon as possible. Logan had reviewed the current policy and didn't see any real issues with it, but in the last 8 years working with his father, he had learned to pick and choose his battles and this just wasn't one that was worth fighting. He had advised Ben to call the insurance company and set up a meeting to get a new policy drafted up; he planned on being present at the meeting but he felt that Ben should take the lead on setting up the meeting so that the editor would feel like he was still in charge and in control of what was happening at his newspaper.

Ben had texted him last night and confirmed that the company was sending an analyst out and they had a meeting the following morning at 9 am at the paper followed by a working lunch at Yama to review the proposed policy.

Logan walked into the paper at 7:30 am ready to start the day, he liked to get in earlier than most people so that he could sit back and observe how things run, who shows up early, who shows up right on time, and who shows up late; he also liked the silence of the office first thing in the morning, it allowed him to get his day together, set a schedule and re-write his task list for the day in his notebook, removing any completed tasks from the day before. This morning he was making sure everything was ready for the 9 am appointment with the Insurance analyst; he had the assistants make sure there was coffee, water, and pastries in the conference room, he had one of the senior reporters standing by to give a tour of the spaces, and he had a driver arranged to take them to Yama around 11:30.

He looked at his watch, it was 8:30, he made his way to Ben's office so that they could discuss their morning meeting; there were just certain topics you avoided while talking to an insurance man and he wanted to make sure that nothing would be said that could raise their premiums.

At 8:45, Ben's assistant came in and told him that the insurance analyst had arrived and was waiting for them in the conference room. The two got up and made their way down the hall; when they walked into the room she had her back to him, but he knew right away who it was. "Ace? Is that you?" He saw her jump when he spoke and when she turned around all the air left his lungs as he took in her very large stomach that was very obviously from being pregnant and not because her metabolism had finally caught up to her and her crazy eating habits.

All the blood left her face and her stomach flew into her throat when she heard his voice, she had felt him as soon as he walked into the room and when she heard him call her by her old nickname it was confirmed; she did the only thing she could, she turned around and responded "Good Morning Logan, I didn't know you were back in the states, I guess that explains why your phone was disconnected when I tried to call you a few months ago."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Oh! I own Ben now too! But sadly, the rest of them do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them for my literary pleasure.**

 **A/N: I know this is really short, but I wanted to get this out to you tonight since I won't be able to write anything until tomorrow evening after work. I hope you enjoy! And as always, please please please review! :D**

Chapter 11

Logan was glued to his spot and his eyes were taking in the sight before him; Rory was pregnant, like very pregnant, and she had tried to call him a few months ago, but his phone was disconnected, his phone was disconnected because he moved back to the states, he hadn't told her he was moving back to the states nor did he give her his new number… I'm an idiot, she had called him to tell him that she was pregnant, this was his baby, Rory was pregnant with his baby, he was going to be a dad, Rory was going to be a mom, they were going to be parents . . . to a baby. . . he turned and looked at Ben and tried to move on with the meeting "Ben, this is Rory Gilmore, she and I have known each other for years, if she is in charge of this account I have no doubt that we are in good hands." He had so many things he wanted to say to her, but now was not the time nor was it the place to have the discussion that they needed to have.

Rory saw all of the emotions pass over his face, it was like reading a book; she knew he knew it was his baby, she could tell as soon as he had made the connection. She saw the switch in his face when he went back into business mode, she knew this wasn't the time or the place for this conversation but it was definitely one that they would have to have. "Yes Mr. Schuler, you are definitely in very good hands, I am very thorough and I will find you the best policy and premium for your paper. Logan, we will have to catch up over dinner tonight, so much has happened since I saw you last." She hoped that he understood the deeper purpose behind her dinner invite and the look on his face told her that he did.

"Dinner would be great, how does a the Four Aces Diner sound? I hear they have some amazing chili fries." He gave her a look and his lips formed that little smirk that he had perfected over the years.

"That sounds absolutely perfect; although my doctor told me to lay off the grease and high calorie foods so I may only eat a half order." She then turned to the Valley News Editor. "But, enough personal business, lets get started on that insurance policy huh?"

The three spent the next few hours together going over coverage for the paper and touring the spaces. She was hyper aware of Logan's presence; she forgot how much of an effect he had on her body and she realized how much she had really missed him the last six months. They had exchanged many glances throughout the day, and there seemed to be a charged air around them. So much needed to be said and she couldn't wait for their dinner date that night; should she call it a date? The butterflies were on overdrive and one of the babies had been pushing on her stomach all afternoon causing her to have a dreadful case of heartburn; she swore she had gone through at least a half a bottle of tums to no avail. Every time Logan had been near, the babies movement picked up, as if they could sense their daddy nearby; there were kicks and punches to all of her internal organs and it felt like they were doing gymnastics inside of there. By the time it was lunch time, she was starving; they walked outside and she saw the car waiting for the three of them and a familiar face holding the back door open. "Hey Frank! Long time no see, how's it going?" She smiled at him, not surprised that now that Logan was back in the states he was using his old driver.

"Ms. Gilmore, what a pleasant surprise!" Frank responded happily, then looked from her stomach to Logan and then back to her stomach. "I trust you are doing well? I see congratulations are in order, how far along are you?"

"Thank you Frank; I am almost 6 months, with twins!" She watched Logan out of the corner of her eye and saw his reaction to the news that she was not only pregnant, but that she was having twins. It was exactly what she had expected and she gave him props for not stumbling into the car. She also knew he was doing the math and realizing that she had gotten pregnant the night of their 'last goodbye'.

"Well congratulations, I am sure you will be an amazing mother." Frank knew better than to ask anything about the father, he could see by the look on his face that he was just as surprised as him about this whole situation.

Rory, Logan and Ben got into the car to head to lunch, it was a bit hard for Rory to get in and get comfortable with as big as she was getting and how low the car was, like he could read her mind, Logan offered her his hand to help her get in and situated. She felt the sparks run up her arm and straight into her heart; the same effect she had every single time their bodies touched. She looked up and met his eyes and tried to thank him but it just came out in a whisper.

He saw her struggling to get into the car, it was a bit low to the ground and her center of balance was obviously thrown off by her large belly; without thinking twice, he reached over to help her. He immediately felt the sparks and tingles through his entire body and he didn't want to let go. Then they locked eyes and she whispered a quiet but raspy thank you and he knew that she had felt it too.

On the car ride over to Yama, Ben just kept looking between the two of them. "So, just how well DO you two know each other?" He asked with a bit of a smile in his voice.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Still only own Ben. . . .and the unborn twins. . . sort of. . . the rest sadly do not belong to me**

 **A/N: I have so much more that is sloshing around up in my brain about how their first meeting will go; this is the beginning of it because I don't know if I will finish the rest tonight. Please enjoy though, and as always, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!**

Chapter 12

Before she could say anything, Logan answered for the both of them. "We met at Yale in 2003 and she hated me at first, but I eventually grew on her and we dated for 3 years until she graduated; then we went our separate ways but our paths crossed a few years ago and it has been on and off since then, the last time I saw her was, what? Six months ago?"

She gave him credit, he was never one to dance around a subject or mince his words. The look on Ben's face was quite priceless as he put the pieces together and realized that Rory was obviously pregnant with Logan's children and that Logan was just learning about it today.

"Oh. I see." Ben replied not really sure where to go with the conversation. "So I am guessing that this really WAS a surprise for the two of you to run into one another here huh? I guess the universe has a sense of humor." That served to cut the tension in the car and the three of them were able to move on to some less heavy topics.

Lunch was successful and Rory was able to draw up a reasonable insurance policy and was actually able to drop their premium by a few hundred dollars. The three of them were able to make easy conversation and she thoroughly enjoyed the company of the editor. Once the business portion of the lunch was over, she and Ben chatted a bit about her career as a journalist and how it had stalled out, thus the reason she was working at an insurance company. Before she knew it, they were back in the car and heading back to the paper; as always after she ate, the twins were all over her stomach, kicking and punching and stretching. At one point she swore they were having a soccer match in there and she let out a sigh as one of them once again kicked her bladder and almost made her pee her pants. These were the things that people didn't really tell you about being pregnant and she was learning as she went. Logan saw her discomfort and asked her if everything was ok.

"Yeah, we just have two little soccer players that seem to think my bladder is the soccer ball." After she said it, she realized that she had just said 'we' as in her and Logan, she just confirmed for him that he was the dad, in the back of a limo, with some guy she had just met that afternoon sitting across from her… well this was awkward.

"Can I feel?" he asked tentatively, not sure how she would react, but really wanting to be able to feel what she did.

"You can try, they like to be stubborn and stop moving as soon as anyone puts their hand on my stomach. Grandma has tried several times, and has yet to feel them kick." She grabbed his hand and put it where one of the babies was playing the drums on her kidneys. "Let's see if they cooperate." As soon as he put his hand on her stomach, both babies started kicking and punching, it was amazing. She looked at him and his eyes were so wide and he just got that huge smile on his face that he had when he was truly happy.

"That is so amazing Ace!" He didn't want to move his hands; feeling his babies move around inside of her stomach was the single most amazing thing he had ever experienced. He looked into her face and just smiled; this felt right and he felt so happy. The past few years had been a mess, but this, THIS was his future and he knew that tonight at dinner he had to make it very clear to her that he did not intend to go anywhere; in fact, he intended to finally marry her and be a family, something that he had been wanting for the last decade.

The two of them were so lost in their own world that they had completely forgotten the Ben was in the car. He just sat across from the two of them and smiled, not wanting to ruin the moment for them. This certainly was not what he had expected today when he was planning out a meeting to go over a new insurance policy, in fact he was pretty sure that this was the most exciting insurance policy meeting he had ever had.

The car pulled up in front of the Valley News and they both crashed back into reality; Rory blushed when she realized what an intimate moment Ben had witnessed between her and Logan, but couldn't quite find it in her to really care that much. Frank came around and opened the door, Logan got out first and then helped Rory out of the car, which was obviously very uncomfortable for her, and then Ben followed behind the two. Rory turned to Ben and exchanged pleasantries and she told him that she would have the new policy e-mailed over the next day for his final review. Ben thanked her again and then headed inside, making himself scarce so Logan and Rory could have an obviously much-needed conversation. He still couldn't believe that he had witnessed such an amazing reunion that day; he was a romantic at heart, something that his wife loved to pick at him about, and seeing the obvious love between those two had warmed his heart so completely. He pulled out his phone and called his wife, just to tell her how much he loved her, then headed back inside and got back to work; although he had a feeling that Logan Huntzberger would not be joining him for the rest of the day.

Logan and Rory just stood there and looked at one another. Neither knew what to say, neither knew how to react to the situation they were in. Logan spoke first. "Do you want to come back to my house? I think it would be better to talk about all of this there than at a restaurant."

He gave her that look, that look he always gave her that felt like it pierced her soul, like her mind and heart and soul were wide open to him. She could do little more than nod, and then she finally found her voice. "Yea, I think that would be a good idea." She said barely above a whisper; then she cleared her throat "I know you have Frank here, but I have my car. Do you want me to follow you, or do you just want to drive me over?" She wasn't sure how to approach this situation; he obviously wasn't upset at her for not telling him; although in her defense, she could honestly say that she had tried but his phone was turned off and she had no idea he had moved only 3 hours away, also he could have called her at any point in time to let her know the engagement was off, to let her know that they had a real shot, but she had told him no, she had said goodbye, a final goodbye, told him that they were done, over, no more, even though she hadn't meant a word of it. Her internal rant probably would have continued indefinitely if he hadn't spoken at that moment.

"I can drive you over to my house, Frank could use an early day." With that he walked over and told Frank that he wouldn't need him for the rest of the day and arranged for him to pick him up the next morning since his car was at the paper. Rory didn't need to know that he had only had Frank for the afternoon; he didn't want to leave her side. He walked back over to where she was standing, her legs a little bit wider than normal and one hand on her lower back while the other idly rubbed her stomach; he was overcome by her beauty and his breath caught in his throat. She continued to be the most beautiful woman he had ever met in his life and now she was carrying his children. He felt terrible that he hadn't been there for the first six months of her pregnancy. That was something they should have experienced together; she never should have had to do it alone. He kicked himself for all the times that he started to call her and didn't, it hadn't even occurred to him that she would be trying to call him on a cell that he turned off as soon as he moved back to the states. He walked up to her and put his hands on either side of her stomach and looked down into her eyes; he saw a glint of tears and he hated to see her cry. With one hand he reached up and wiped the tear off of her face and leaned in and kissed her cheek where it had once been laying. "Please don't cry Rory, you know it kills me when you cry."

She looked up into his eyes and was overcome by the love she saw in them; despite everything that had happened since the day that she turned down his proposal, she knew he still loved her and she still loved him. "Don't worry, they are tears of happiness. I am just so glad to see you Logan. I have hated doing this alone, I have wished you were here every second of every day." A few more tears made their way down her cheeks and he gently wiped them away with his thumb, cupping her jaw in his hand. She knew that they needed to break the mood, after all they were standing in front of a newspaper building in the middle of the afternoon; this was hardly the place for this. "So," she cleared her throat "I am parked right over there, are you ready to go?"

Her statement served its purpose and the mood was broken, but the contact between them was not. With his arm still around her, they started walking over to the parking lot. "Which one is yours?" he asked, expecting to see her old Prius.

She got out her keys and unlocked her SUV, the headlights blinking to indicate which one it was. "This one right here." She smiled at him; she could see the look of disbelief on his face as he took in her SUV that had cost her close to $100K; she knew he never expected her to be driving something like this and she could only imagine the look on his face when she told him that she had moved into the Gilmore mansion as well. "I had to get something safe and family friendly for the twins. My Grandma helped me pick this one out while we were on FaceTime and we were both 'building' cars on the Internet. When I went to the dealership and saw it, I fell in love with it instantly and just had to have it. What do you think?" she asked him, feigning ignorance at just how out of character it was for her to 1. FaceTiming and making big decisions with her grandmother and 2. spending this much money on a vehicle.

"I think it is a beautiful vehicle Ace, if I were picking out a car for you, this is exactly what I would have picked." Then he looked at her and gave her that smirk of his that always made her weak in the knees. "I also think we have a lot of catching up to do; seems like a lot of life changes have happened in the last 6 months."

"You don't know the half of it mister!" she responded. He walked around to the passenger side and opened her door for her. It was so much easier for her to get up into the SUV than it had been to get in the car earlier, but he still helped her and she didn't complain. This felt good. It felt really really good.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Back to just owning the twins. . .kinda. . . I am just borrowing the rest for my literary pleasure.**

 **A/N: I hope you like this chapter. I have so much more that I want to write about their conversation and reunion, but it is already almost 11pm and I have to work tomorrow so I think I ended it at a good place. I will update again tomorrow night :) I hope you enjoy, thank you for all the positive reviews, please keep em coming! :D**

Chapter 13

Logan drove the Q80 and was still in shock that this was Rory's vehicle. As long as he had known her, she had as little to do with society as possible (with the exception of when she had taken time off from Yale and joined the DAR) and certainly never would have dreamed of driving a vehicle that cost what most people in the Midwest would pay for a house. But here she was, driving a brand new Infiniti Q80, and he wasn't going to lie, it suited her and he loved seeing her in it. "Would you like to take the scenic route or the boring interstate route to my house?" He asked her with a grin, already knowing the answer; she was a sucker for country drives, and the drive up State Road 10 went right along the Connecticut River along the border with Vermont. His house was in downtown Hanover and the drive was about 15 minutes regardless of which way you took. "Do you need to stop at your hotel? Change into something more comfortable? I know how much you like your sweat pants." He looked over at her and smiled, that smile he reserved for her, and she melted a little bit more.

"I am sure you have some sweatpants I can borrow." She said, not really feeling like going to the Inn where one chapter had ended and another chapter had started all at the same time. "I just want to relax, and only have to get out of the car once." She laid her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the fact that she didn't have to drive. "And you know I am a sucker for a country drive." She idly rubbed her stomach with her right hand and found him reaching over with his right hand to rub her stomach before settling it into a loose grip around her own hand.

The ride was quiet, neither knew what to say, but both were enjoying being in the presence of the other. It just felt so good, so natural, so. . . right. When they pulled up to his house, it was nothing like what she had expected. She figured he would have a town house or a luxury apartment, not a 5-bedroom house that looked like he was already playing the part of a man with a wife and two kids.

"Wow Logan, this place is amazing, I can't wait to see the inside." She looked up over at him and was once again overcome by all the emotions she was feeling. She couldn't believe that she had run into him, she couldn't believe she was at his house, that he knew they were having twins, that he wasn't running in the opposite direction, or that SHE wasn't running in the opposite direction; the whole her running in the opposite direction thing seemed like a much more common occurrence and she really hoped that she would be able to work through her commitment issues and just let herself be happy. She had started going to therapy after her mom and grandma had started their sessions and it seemed to really be helping her identify why she made many of the decisions she had made in her life.

"Thank you, I just fell in love with it when I was house hunting and I bought it, sight unseen; I don't regret it one bit. It is exactly what I want in a house; nice size but not too big, and the grounds are around an acre and nice and private. I sometimes forget that I live on Main Street." He wasn't ready to tell her yet that he had bought this house with her in mind, before he knew she was pregnant, and had pictured raising a family there with her more times than he could count in the months that he had lived there.

The driveway was large; it had enough room to easily fit 6 cars. He parked next to the steps leading to the front door and walked around to help her get out. There was a very old stone wall about waist high and four stone steps leading up to the deep red door that he had even decorated it with a wreath; a second entrance was directly in front of the SUV and that was the way he directed her. It was a beautiful oak wood with windows all around and she was sure that the amount of light that made it through those windows and into the house had to be a wonderful feel. They walked inside and made their way to a very cozy family room. It was a wonderful mix of contemporary and old world. The fireplace was large and the entire wall was covered in bookshelves and filled with books from all over the world and from all eras. That was one of the things she had always been able to share with him, their mutual love of books. As she settled into the very comfortable oversized sectional, she reached for his hand and pulled him down to sit next to her. She turned her body so she was facing him and laid her legs across his lap; he started rubbing her swollen feet and she just sighed in relief. Her feet had been killing her and it felt so good to have someone rub them.

"I love how we just fit; it has been six months since we said goodbye, and yet I feel like we were never apart. But I think we should really talk about everything that happened. Where each of our minds are, what we are thinking about for the future." She looked over at him with emotion filled eyes, trying to convey with her eyes just how glad she was to be there with him. "I know it is a lot, it is a lot to take in and it is a heavy topic, but we are in our 30s; I think we can both agree that we are past the point of playing around or avoiding serious conversation." She knew that it was a very direct and heavy approach to the situation, but her therapist had been working with her and her communication skills. She had a history of running away when things got tough, something she had learned from her mother, and this was a situation where she could not afford to do that. She had grown up with only a mom, and while it hadn't been a bad childhood, she was still a bit resentful that her dad was not around and that wasn't something that she wanted to do to her children. She knew a lot of it was her dad's choice, but looking back, she also saw that her mom had been responsible for some of it as well. It was something they had really been diving into during her recent therapy sessions because she was worried about making all the same mistakes her mother had.

"I agree completely. I can tell you though, from my perspective, I never stopped loving you. Even during the last few years and the mess we made of it, I loved you every moment and all you would have had to do was say the words and I would have been with you and only you. You have to know that Ace, from the time I was 21, it has always been you; you are the great love of my life and I would marry you tomorrow if you let me." He took a chance and leaned in to kiss her, cupping her face in his hands and rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone, he looked deep into her eyes. "Please tell me that you feel the same way. That you want to make this work, that you want us to be a family and raise our babies together. I don't want to miss anything in their lives. I don't want to be like my dad was to me, all cold and distant. I want to be actively engaged in their lives, I want them to never doubt for one second that they are loved more than words can say, with every fiber of my being. I want them to be excited to follow in my footsteps in the family business, not feel like it is their obligation that they just have to blindly accept." He was surprised to feel tears coming down his cheeks, but he wasn't going to be ashamed; this was so important, and he knew that he could be real with her. She had always seen the real him, the vulnerable him, and right now was the most vulnerable he had been since the night he asked her to marry him.

She was at a loss for words; she had never seen such raw emotion come out of him. He was laying himself wide open, being completely honest and vulnerable with her; she knew looking deep into those beautiful hazel eyes that she couldn't imagine saying no to him. It scared her. It scared her to her very core to open herself up, to allow herself to love him again, to not just run away like she was used to doing; however, she also knew that this was right, he loved her and she loved him, they could be a family. Two people who did not have the ideal parents growing up, her coming from a single teenage mother and him coming from a family where they really only loved money and social connections; the two of them had a chance to do it right, to raise their children in a home full of love and laughter, where their mom and dad were madly in love with one another. How could she say no to that? "I do love you Logan, I have loved you since I was 19 years old, I want us to be together, I want us to make this work, I want us to be a family. Our son and daughter deserve to grow up with two parents who love each other. I don't want to do this alone; I don't want to do this separate; I want us to do this together, as a team, as husband and wife. Let's not waist any more time fighting against this connection between the two of us. It has always been you Logan; I love you. I love you so much that it hurts. And I am sorry, I am sorry that I pushed you away, I am sorry that I pushed us into the no strings attached 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' approach to us; it wasn't fair to either of us and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you will let me." She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips and leaned her forehead against his. She had not been this open and honest in a really long time, if ever and it felt really good; she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They were sitting at a clean slate, everything had been put out there and they could start fresh, go on this journey together.

"So, we are having a boy and a girl? That is amazing." He responded in shock. Not only had she said yes and that she loves him too, she told him that they were going to have both a son and a daughter. "We really need to catch me up on the last six months Ace, I feel like I am living in the dark." He leaned in and kissed her again; now that he was able to do that again, he was going to take full advantage of it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: still just own the twins. . . the rest I am just borrowing**

 **A/N: Okay, so I know that some of the views that I have Rory express are not going to be completely in-line with how other people think of Rory's thoughts on growing up/Chilton/Yale; but as I watched the series, it was how I felt in those different times of her life and this is my story. .. . so that is what I wrote. I also tried to answer the reasoning behind some of the decisions in earlier chapters that some reviews had asked about, where the Rory of this story's head is at, why she was making certain decisions, etc. Also, you can probably expect Lorelai to appear around chapter 16, but I will tell you now if you haven't figured it out yet, she is the antagonist of the story; Rory doesn't hate her, she never could, but there will be conflict between those characters throughout the story; after all, what fun is a story where everyone is happy and loves each other and no one ever fights ;) also, the LDB members will make an appearance as well, I am still thinking through the shenanigans they will bring, but you can expect to see them in the Bachelor Party which will be in a yet to be determined chapter.**

 **Anyways, here is chapter 14, enjoy! and as always PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review :D**

Chapter 14

"Where do you want me to begin?" She asked him with a bit of a smile to her voice.

"How about you just start from the beginning and go, in true Gilmore fashion. I will interject if I have any questions or want to expound on any topics. How does that sound?" He continued to rub her feet and reached over and kissed her again; he wasn't sure he was going to be able to go too long between kisses, having been deprived of them for six months.

"Okay. . .here it goes. You sure you are ready?" She looked over at him and he nodded. "Okay, so after that night at the Inn in New Hampshire, which coincidentally and completely unplanned is where I am staying during this trip, I decided to settle into life in Stars Hollow; I was working at the Stars Hollow Gazette as the editor but it just wasn't satisfying me, I still felt like I was lost; I thought writing the book would help and I wrote several chapters in one sitting while I was in my grandfather's study. I hadn't been feeling well but I thought it was just the stress of everything going on in my life wearing me down; then I started noticing more and more signs of pregnancy but I was in denial so I just tried to blame them on something else; then I started thinking and I realized that I hadn't had a period in a really long time, like so long that I couldn't even remember when it was, so I went over to Hartford and bought a pregnancy test and I took it in my mom's bathroom." She took a deep breath and then Logan interjected.

"Wait a second, you drove to Hartford to get the test just to turn around and go back to Stars Hollow? Why?" He asked with a perplexed look on his face, that was a lot of driving and he was sure they had pregnancy tests in Stars Hollow.

"Because, if I would have bought a test in Stars Hollow, it would have been all around town before I got the results of the test. They are a bunch of gossips there, you know that." She gave him a look,/lb smiled then continued on.

"Anyways, where was I, oh yeah so I took the test in my mom's bathroom. I completely freaked out and then I took like 5 more and they all said positive. I called Lane freaking out, actually convinced myself for a second that I had cancer, don't ask, and then she convinced me to calm down and make a doctors appointment. By the time I went to the doctor I was around 3 months; I did the mental math and realized I had gotten pregnant the night of our 'final goodbye'. I told Grandma first; she reacted completely different than I thought she would and was actually very supportive. I also asked her if I could move into her house in Hartford since she had moved to Nantucket and she quickly agreed, even went shopping with me to get some new furniture." Logan interrupted her once again.

"Wait a second, you live in Hartford now? In Richard and Emily's house? All by yourself?" He asked incredulously; he couldn't believe that Rory had not only moved into the Gilmore Mansion but that she had consciously made the decision to do so; a lot of things had changed since they had last seen each other for sure.

"Well not by myself, I have two maids and a cook; and once the babies come I will have a nanny. I just knew I wanted a better life for my babies, that they were Huntzbergers, Gilmores, and Haydens; I couldn't imagine keeping all of that away from them. I loved my life with my mom growing up, but it was hard; we struggled a lot when we didn't have to, all so she could prove that she could do it on her own, prove to Grandma and Grandpa that she didn't need them or their money or their expectations. That was her decision, and she is happy with her choices; but I see how unhappy Grandma is, how much it weighs on her to have her daughter disrespect her and exclude her from her life at every turn and mock everything about her life and character; and it makes me angry, it makes me angry and upset that she treats her mom that way and that I was raised in a way that at times I did the same." She took a deep breath; the conversation had side tracked quickly, but it was something that she had really been digging into in therapy and she decided to get the rest of it out, it felt good to say the words outside of therapy. "The first 15 years of my life she kept me from society, only visiting my grandparents once or twice a year, yet insisted that I would go to Harvard one day, which by the way I am pretty sure she did simply because Grandpa had went to Yale. Then, my freshman she put me in Chilton, which was full of society kids, but refused to let Grandma buy me any extra uniforms or the special socks, or the backpack or the nice jacket, all the things the other kids had and she couldn't afford, but didn't want my grandparents paying for. She instead just stated that I didn't need those things, she never asked me, never consulted me, nothing; and I would have felt bad if I had told her that I wanted those things, so I just pretended I didn't want or need them just like she had said; but really, if I am being honest with myself, I did want them, I did want to fit in better, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings or have her upset at me, so I just went along with what she said. She was so adamant I was in this world, yet every single time I started to conform to it, she fought against it. Once I went to Yale and met you, she never approved, she never liked that I was falling for a society guy, someone with money and obligations who lived in the world she ran away from; and it took a toll on our relationship, slowly but surely it did. Then you were there for the whole ordeal leading up to my 21st birthday; that was terrible! She didn't agree with my decisions so she just shut me out, and that really hurt; anyways, the reason for that little tirade is that when I told her I was pregnant and you were the father and that I was moving to Hartford and working for grandpa's insurance company, it was like I was 20 years old all over again. I haven't spoken to her since I told her, she hasn't tried to get ahold of me she hasn't texted me to see how the pregnancy is going, unless she has gotten updates from someone else such as grandma or Lane, she probably doesn't even know I am having twins." A tear slid down her cheek, it felt good to get all of that off of her chest, and Logan knew all the history so he really understood why this was so hard for her.

Logan reached over and wiped the tears from her face and then pulled her in for a kiss. "I'm sorry Ror, that has to be so hard on you. I know how close the two of you have always been; but, you are a grown woman, you are allowed to make your own decisions in your life that are best for you and you don't need her permission or her approval. I know it would be nice to have it, but I can tell you that I will never leave society or my family business; it is a part of who I am and while I plan on raising our children differently than the way I was raised, I couldn't imagine depriving them of all the privileges that come from centuries of hard work in my family. I know that trust fund kids can get a bad reputation as spoiled brats, and there was more than one time that I fit that to a T; but, I won't deprive our children of their birth right just because your mom chose to throw hers in the face of her parents." Logan looked over at her and was more than a little nervous, this was the most honest he had ever been with her about how he felt about raising their children. In college they had discussed it once or twice in hypothetical form, but he had never really felt comfortable enough to speak his true feelings.

"I know Logan, and I feel the same way; which is why I have been taking the steps that I have been taking. I want them to have a better life than I did; I want them to be able to go to the best schools and fit in with all the kids their age. The worst part of my teenage and college years was feeling like I had one foot in and one foot out and feeling guilty for enjoying the high society life because my mother never approved. I know our son is going to be expected to take over HPG, just like you are expected to take over from your dad, and I am okay with that; it is the way we deliver that expectation that we have control over." She felt like she was getting lighter by the minute, there was so much she had been holding in over the years and it felt so good to get it out. "But anyway, back to the last six months, huh? So after I left my mom's house that day is when I tried to call you, I had been trying to get the courage to call you since the moment I found out, but something about that fight just drove me to call you and let you know; but your phone was disconnected. I had also heard from grandma that you and Odette had called of the engagement and why; but I hadn't heard you were moving back to the states. Just based off the timing, I would say you moved back within days of me finding out I was pregnant. I wanted to get ahold of you, and I knew that all it took was one phone call from grandma to find out where you were; but I thought that maybe it was possible that you had changed your number so that I couldn't get ahold of you, that you had finally and fully moved on, and I just wasn't ready for that type of rejection; so I just kept putting it off and putting it off. I am sure that eventually grandma would have insisted I get ahold of you or done some of her intervention tactics to ensure we ran into each other one way or the other; I mean she has been amazing and so supportive through all of this, but she can only hold her meddling in so long you know?" She laughed and smiled a true smile when she thought of her grandmother, ever since Rory had fully embraced society life, her and Emily had gotten so much closer; it made her sad that she didn't have more of this through her life, that she always sort of kept her at arms length or begrudgingly agreed to her shenanigans which were always followed by a verbal assault from Lorelai. Looking back, she can see that everything her grandmother did was done out of love and out of a desire to get her grandchild back into the world which she felt she belonged in; and she did belong in this world, it was comfortable to her, way more comfortable than she ever thought it would be.

Logan just sat there stunned; he could hardly believe how much had changed in the last six months, but he couldn't say he was disappointed. As much as he wanted to marry Rory and spend his life with her and raise a family together, he had always sort of dreaded the inevitable conflict over being a part of the society world; it wasn't for the faint of heart, it could be cruel and cut throat, but it was all he knew and he was comfortable there, and he had his best friends who he hoped eventually would settle down and get married and have kids, then their kids could all grow up together. "Rory, I love you, we will make this work and we will figure it all out together. First I am going to say, I am so so so sorry that I changed my number and never gave you the new one. I pulled up your contact more times than I can count, I drafted a thousand different text messages; but just like you, I was scared of rejection. I was scared that even though I was single and available and willing to make a real go at us, that you wouldn't want it; that you wouldn't want the society life, that it would always be a sore spot between us, so I am not going to lie, I am extremely happy that you are fully embracing being a Gilmore and everything that comes with it. If you want to continue to work at your grandfather's insurance company and live in that house in Hartford, once I get this paper up and running efficiently, I will ask my dad to transfer me to someplace closer and we can live there together once we are married; conversely, if you don't want to work and you want to stay at home with our kids and attend DAR meetings, and go to luncheons and everything else that goes with being a society wife, I will support that too. If you want out of Hartford, we can live here, just far enough away that my family won't be right up in our business all the time, but close enough that it is just a morning drive to visit; and it only adds about 30 minutes onto the drive to Emily in Nantucket. The world is your oyster Rory, I am willing to do what it takes to make sure we work, but I need to know that you are as well. I need to know you aren't going to run when it gets hard; because it is going to get hard, between being newlyweds and new parents to twins, that is a lot of adjusting. We are both going to have to compromise and figure this out together. Are you willing to do that?" His pleading and honest eyes met her glistening blue eyes and they just stared at each other. He saw the answer in her eyes before the words ever came out of her mouth.

"Yes Logan, I am willing to stay by your side. I am willing to compromise and communicate and make this work. I love you, I always have and I always will. I know that everything happens for a reason, and we should never regret decisions and choices we make because they make us who we are; but I think that the single biggest mistake I have ever made in my life was saying no when you asked me to marry you. The decade since then has been nothing but emotional pitfalls; but we also never would have had this type of conversation, this raw conversation where we are addressing issues that have needed to be discussed even before we broke up that first time. I also think that knowing what it was like to live a life apart from each other and how miserable it was, lets both of us know without a doubt that this is right, and I don't want to live another day of our lives apart. We may or may not get the 50 years that my grandparents got together, but I think aspiring to have a marriage like theirs is pretty grand."

"I couldn't agree more. I love you Lorelai Leigh Gilmore; but now, we have to call Mitchum and Shira and give them the news."

With a heavy sigh, she agreed. "I know we do. I am sure they will want us to be married before the baby gets here, and I know grandma will jump right on board. Her and Shira have been frenemies for years, and I am sure that this wedding will serve to bring the two of them back into good terms. Do you think your mother is going to be upset that you ended up with me after all?" She had to admit, she was nervous; things had gotten better between her and Logan's parents by the end and she even thought that they had finally accepted her; she just wasn't sure that a shotgun wedding was going to be a great way to re-acquaint her with his family. Speaking of shotgun weddings…"shit! I still haven't told my dad I am pregnant!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them**

 **A/N: Sorry I didn't update last night, I took my kids rock climbing and we didn't get home until late, and this chapter just didn't want to come out. I hit the groove towards the end and I already have the next chapter outlined, you may get lucky and get two updates tonight!**

 **But anyways, thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming! :D Here is chapter 15**

Chapter 15

Logan looked at her, slightly confused at the connection she had made inside her head, but even more, he was surprised she hadn't told her dad she was pregnant. "What do you mean you haven't told your dad? Haven't you known for over 3 months?" He couldn't help but laugh; her shocked face and the realization that something so obvious had slipped her mind.

"I mean, we never really talked a lot and now that I am an adult we talk even less; I have just been so busy and there has been so many changes, I guess it just slipped my mind." She couldn't believe she hadn't told her dad she was pregnant! Who doesn't tell their father that they are going to be a Grandpa?! "What am I supposed to say now when I tell him? 'Oh, hey dad, I am pregnant. I have known for like 3 months and I just forgot to tell you' he is going to be so hurt. I feel terrible."

"It will be fine, we will tell him together. You will just tell him the truth, you have been stressed out and going through a lot of changes and you just forgot to tell him." He reached out and grabbed her face, running his thumb along her jaw line. "He will understand, and he will appreciate you being honest with him."

"Yea, you are right. I will just have to tell him sooner rather than later, and definitely in person." She was so thankful she had Logan here with her again; he had always been the person that could talk her off a ledge and out of a spiral when her mind started spinning. It still felt so surreal that the two of them were sitting here together as a couple and only a few months away from having twins. The last six months were such a blur and she finally felt like her life was back in focus.

The two of them spent the rest of the weekend together talking about everything and anything. They had many deep conversations about their feelings and their desires to make this work; they made more progress in three days than they had in ten years and both of them were beyond happy. No decisions had been made yet about where they were going to live or when they were going to get married, but they knew that none of that would be able to be decided without Shira and Emily's input. Logan took her back to the inn to get all of her stuff on Saturday, it had been weird being back there with him, but being there together gave both of them closure on the past; walking out together was like closing the door on the ugly and messy preceding years and opening a door on a new chapter in their lives, a happy chapter.

Sunday came way too soon; neither of them wanted to say goodbye but she had to get on the road right after lunch. With it being so late in the year, it got dark around 4:00 and she hated driving at night, especially with New England traffic. They stood there in an embrace that neither wanted to let go of. "I don't want to go, I don't want to leave you, but I have to. I have to work in the morning and there is a lot of stuff we have to figure out." She looked up into his eyes and felt the world stop and fade away; she was here in Logan's arms again, as his partner, and it just felt perfect.

"I know, I don't want you to go either, but I promise I will come down later this week. I am going to call my parents and tell them about all of the new developments from this weekend, and we will figure this all out. Are you okay with a wedding very soon? I know it is old fashioned, but I really want to be married when we have the babies." He knew this was all moving really fast, they had just gotten back together 3 days ago, but this was 14 years in the making, he knew the moment he told her in college that he could do the girlfriend/boyfriend relationship thing that she was the one for him. There is no one else like her and he doesn't want to spend any longer than he has to without her being his wife.

"I am surprised that I am saying this, but yes, I am okay with a wedding sooner rather than later. I want to be married to you Logan, I want us to be a family, I want that stability for our children growing up. I will talk to grandma on the way home, get her opinion on everything; the timing isn't great, but at least we can say I got pregnant after you and Odette called it off since the timing is almost perfect for us to have run into one another right after you broke it off. We could probably even say that we have been seeing each other quietly due to the timing…I don't know, Grandma and Shira are better at this type of thing than I am."

Logan looked at her just simply amazed at the changes that had happened in just six months, he never thought he would have heard Rory worrying about how to present their situation to society, about trying to work together with his mother and Emily. If this would have happened while they were in college, neither one of them would have really cared about what his parents or her grandparents had to say, they would have just done whatever they wanted, now they were both older and more mature they understood the necessity of playing by society rules. "I love you so much." He leaned down and kissed her. "I will see you in a few days and I will call you tonight after I talk with my parents. Text me and let me know when you get home safe."

Rory begrudgingly got into her SUV and headed home. She had three hours, if you take traffic into account, to think while heading home; instead, she called Emily. Emily answered after the third ring, already well aware that Rory was going to tell her that she ran into Logan while in New Hampshire, but completely unaware of how well her and Shira's plan worked. "Hey grandma, I have so much to talk to you about, starting with I ran into Logan this weekend and ending with we want to get married and I need your help. We can catch up with everything in between when I get home, but we need to start planning now, and thinking about how his parents are going to react and whether or not they are going to be on board." She knew with her grandmother it was best to just get right to the point, and the next three hours she had nothing else to do other than focus on this topic.

Emily dropped the phone in shock. While she knew that the two of them running into one another would have set things in motion, her and Shira had thought for sure it would take some convincing to get them to agree to a quick marriage. She also knew that because it had went so well and Rory was having doubts about his family, she had to come clean about her meddling. She picked up the phone and with a smile on her face she replied. "Oh Rory dear, that is wonderful news! I can certainly help you there, I have been thinking about it ever since you told me that you were pregnant; also, I can assure you that Shira and Mitchum are completely on board with they two of you getting married as well, and not begrudgingly, they think the two of you are the perfect match and are excited to see they two of you finally together."

Rory interrupted her. "How do you know that Grandma? What did you do?" She was starting to think that her running into Logan this weekend was no cosmic coincidence, although she couldn't find it in her to be mad at her grandmother for her meddling, Rory knew if her grandmother had not done something to push them together, she would have just kept putting it off and after the way the weekend went, how could she possibly be mad?

"Please don't be mad Rory, but I just couldn't stand to see you so sad and I knew you wanted to talk to him but was too scared to seek him out, so Shira and I made the meeting this weekend happen. All we did was arrange for the two of you to run into each other though, Logan had no idea, so anything that happened after the meeting was all you two and we had no hand in any of it, I promise." Emily wanted to be clear that while she had meddled, that it was very minimal and shouldn't diminish anything that happened between the two of them that weekend.

"I'm not mad grandma. I am too happy to be mad; but we do have a lot to talk about. Logan and I want to get married soon, but we don't know what the best way to go about it is, that is where you and Shira come in." Rory had wondered if it was pure happenstance that the two of them had run into one another, she now knew it was not; however, the fact that Shira and Mitchum had been on board with the plan spoke volumes to her.

Rory and Emily spent the remainder of her drive home discussing the situation and making plans for a quick but quiet wedding. She wasn't sure if she was going to invite her mom or not, it twinged inside her heart to think of being married without her mother being there, but she also knew her mom wasn't going to agree and if she was just going to be negative toward the whole situation then she didn't want her there. "Do you think we should invite mom? I mean I just don't know what to do, I want her there but I also don't want her to ruin it you know?" she asked Emily toward the end of their conversation, she knew it was random and had nothing to do with what they had just been talking about, but it had been weighing on her mind.

"I think if you are asking the question, that should be your answer." Emily sighed, "I think that you should send her an invitation, whether or not she comes is up to her." Emily was pretty sure that this would happen the same way that Rory's 21st birthday party had went, Lorelai would get the invitation, assume that with how it looked it couldn't possibly be from Rory and instead was just Emily's doing, and she would ignore it; only this time, Emily was not going to intervene to stop her daughter from making a huge mistake. She had tried for years with Lorelai, tried to repair their relationship, tried to be a part of her life, but her daughter was just intent on keeping her out and now she was doing the same thing to Rory; it broke Emily's heart, but she had resigned herself to the fact that there was really nothing she could do about it.

"I think I will do that; also, I realized this weekend that I haven't told my dad any of this! Can you believe that?!" Rory was glad that she had this relationship with her grandmother and she knew that Emily would help her figure everything out.

"I can believe it dear, you have been under an immense amount of stress since you found out you were pregnant, that added to what they call 'pregnancy brain', I am not surprised at all that it slipped your mind." Emily paused for a second, not sure how the next part of this conversation would go, "but he does know. I didn't realize you had not told him and I called him about a few weeks ago to ask him his opinion on something I am putting together for you and the babies. He was surprised, but he was understanding, I explained to him the whole situation and how upset and stressed you are; he is just waiting for your call, and I am sorry but he made me promise not to say anything to you, he didn't want to make you feel bad and he wanted you to tell him because you thought of him, not because someone else told you to think about him. You know how much guilt that man carries around for the way he was always absent when you were growing up."

"Grandma, you are amazing. I don't know what I would do without you; I can't thank you enough for everything you have done over the last few months. I just love you so much" Out of nowhere she just started crying. She pulled over at the next service plaza and parked in front of the Dunkin Donuts and her mind just kept spinning and she just kept crying, "Grandma, everything was so scary for the last 6 months, nothing made sense and I wasn't sure what was going to happen; then I got into that huge fight with my mom and most of me is bothered by it but a part of me just doesn't care, wants to just say 'whatever, if you don't want to support me, if you want to berate me for my choices, then just see your way out of my life!' who does that, who just cuts their child off like that, I haven't heard from her in months! I haven't told her I am having twins, she doesn't know I am having a boy and a girl, she doesn't know that Logan and I are back together, not that she would approve, but she should have been the first person I called; instead the thought never crossed my mind because I just knew she would steal my happiness. And I just think about how bad she has treated you pretty much her entire life and it just breaks my heart for you because that is no way to treat someone's mother; and now I feel like it has come full circle, she cut you off of her life because she wanted to run away from society and she took me with her; now I want to be a part of society and she is cutting me off as well! What is so wrong with that world Grandma? Why does she hate it so much that she will cut ties with her own family, both her parents and her child because they are a part of it? And those things she said after Grandpa's funeral! How could she do that, he was always there for her no matter how bad she treated you two; he was there, there to give her money to pay for both Chilton and Yale, there when she needed to get a loan for the Dragonfly Inn and wasn't able to on her own; always there, and then she just trashes him at his own memorial, brings up some filthy story about him catching her with some guy when she was a teenager. Who does that? I just have so much anger built up inside me, and so much sadness; but at the same time I am overjoyed that Logan and I are finally back together, the way we should be, the way we should have been all these years. I am so mad at myself that I just wasted the last 11 years, all that time we could have been together, starting a family, having the big wedding that we all know we should have had; instead, we are having a small quick wedding because I got pregnant while he was engaged to someone else. And why am I so emotional? Why am I crying so much? Is it really true about the hormones when you're pregnant? This is insane!" Rory finally got ahold of herself and wiped away the tears. To Emily's credit, she had listened to the entire rant without interrupting her once. "Grandma are you still there?"

"I am; are you done now? Do you feel better?" Emily remembered the feeling that Rory was having quite well; it had happened to her quite often when she was pregnant with Lorelai. "And yes, that is the pregnancy hormones, it happens to the best of us; but it is good to get it out and have a nice cry."

"Thank you for listening Grandma." Just then she heard a beep, indicating that she was getting another call, she looked down at her phone, "hey Grandma, can I call you back? Logan is calling me."

"Of course dear, call me when you get home and drive safe. I love you." Emily was amazed once again by her granddaughter; and really very excited to start the plans into motion that she and Shira had already started making.

Rory switched over to Logan's call "Hey babe, what's up?" She had told him she would call him when she got home, but if he was calling her she assumed it was probably to talk about his conversation with his mother.

"Hey Ace, so I just got off the phone with my mother. She surprisingly is very supportive and has agreed that we need to get married as soon as possible. She said she will get with Emily to make the arrangements and she wants to have dinner with us at your house in Hartford on Friday night. She wants to see the nursery and she also wants to take you shopping with Emily on Saturday so you all can pick out your wedding dress." He had been shocked when his mother had reacted with joy instead of anger, but he was just going to go with it, no sense creating conflict where there wasn't any. "Are you okay with all that? I didn't want to give her an answer until I talked to you."

"That sounds great Logan. What is your mom's favorite dish? I will have the cook make that on Friday; and I will coordinate with her through my grandmother for shopping on Saturday; although I don't know what kind of wedding dress will look good when I am like 7 months pregnant with twins!" Part of her wished they could just go to city hall and get married, but the rest of her knew that she wanted to make this memory with him, she wanted to walk down the aisle with him waiting at the end and pledge in front of everyone that is important to them that they will love one another until death do them part, in fact if there was some way to pledge to one another even after death, she would gladly do that instead. He is the love of her life and she knew she would never find anyone that makes her as happy as he does; and here came the water works again. She was really starting to hate hormones of pregnancy; 'okay back to the original topic' she mentally told herself, "BUT if anyone could find the perfect designer maternity wedding dress, it would be your mother and my grandmother, huh?"

"Rory, you will look beautiful no matter what you wear, and I have no doubt that Emily and my mother will not stop until they find you the perfect dress. I will head down Thursday night and stay with you at your house, if that is okay with you, things are going well here at the paper so it shouldn't be and issue for me to take a long weekend."

"You're too sweet and so perfect, Thursday night sounds great, I usually get off work around 5:30 and am home around 6:00 or 6:15, depending on traffic. What do you want for dinner? I will make sure Lorane, that is my cooks name and I feel weird continuously calling her 'my cook', has everything she needs for it and we will eat at 7:00 if that works for you." She still wasn't completely used to the fact that she had a cook and two maids and lived in a mansion in Hartford, but it sure was nice and much more convenient to just tell Lorane what she wanted for dinner throughout the week and it was always there and ready at 7:00 on the dot, every single night.

"I'm not picky, and I know you get cravings with pregnancy, so whatever you want will be good with me, I promise. I will see you Thursday when you get home, please be sure to let the maids know I am coming so they will let me into the house if I make it there before you get home." Little did she know, he was definitely planning on getting there several hours before she got home, he wanted everything to be perfect the moment she walked through the door.

"I love you Logan, and I will definitely let the maids know you will be arriving on Thursday and to let you in. Now I have to get off of here and call my grandma back so that we can make plans for Saturday. I will let you know when I get home okay?" With that the two of them ended the call and she pulled back onto the parkway and enjoyed the final hour of her drive in silence, she would call her grandmother later, right now she just needed to think.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: nothing has changed. I still don't own them.**

 **A/N: Okay, this is really short, there was going to be more to this chapter, but it is after midnight and I am exhausted but I wanted to get this out to you 3**

 **As always please review :D it really drives me to continue writing this story! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

When Rory got home, she texted Logan and let him know she made it, and then she called her grandmother. They made plans for Saturday and Emily gave her the rundown on protocol for dinner on Friday, then Rory climbed into bed and fell asleep, she was physically and emotionally exhausted.

The rest of the week seemed to fly by and before she knew it, it was Thursday. She and Logan had been talking every night and texting throughout the day; it was simply amazing. She really hoped that the day went by quickly and she was able to take off a little early so she could hopefully get to the house before Logan; but she didn't see that happening, she had been slammed all day and it didn't show any signs of slowing down. Around 1:00 she got a text from Logan saying that he was heading that way and he would see her after work; she quickly replied then got lost in her work, the next time she looked at her phone it was after 5:00. She decided to go ahead and call it a day; there wasn't anything there that couldn't wait until the morning. She sent Logan a quick text saying she was leaving work, grabbed her coat, lunch box, and briefcase and headed out the door.

She wasn't sure why, but she had butterflies fluttering in her stomach and her whole body buzzed with excitement that she was about to see Logan; despite their history, everything felt so new and exciting; she didn't question it or fight it, she just enjoyed it. As she got into her car, she checked her phone and saw that she had gotten a response from him; it said 'see you soon' and had a smiley face and a sunflower. She smiled at the sunflower because he remembered even after all these years that sunflowers were her favorite.

Rory pulled up to her house about 30 minutes later, traffic was terrible and she was exhausted; the only thing giving her any type of motivation to not just put on her pajamas and go to bed as soon as she walked through the door was the fact that Logan was going to be at the house waiting on her. She saw his car parked out front, it was a beautiful little sports car, a F-type Jaguar in a beautiful blue color, and her heart skipped a beat. She pulled around the side and parked in the garage then hurried, well as much as she could hurry with as pregnant as she was, inside to greet him.

She walked through the door and saw flower petals on the floor, they were forming a trail so she followed them; as she came around the corner to the sitting room at the front of the house, she lost her breath for a moment; the entire room was filled with white and yellow candles and there were hundreds of sunflowers all around the room; each arrangement intermixed with carnations and lilies and other flowers whose names she didn't know; it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Logan stood in the center of the room; dressed in a suit and tie with his arms loosely behind his back, he started to walk towards her with a huge smile on his face. "Logan, this is beautiful." She was still taking it all in, this had to have taken him hours to set up.

"Not as beautiful as you are Ace." He replied and kissed her on the cheek. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, you are the most wonderful woman I know; you are beautiful and kind and smart and you challenge me to be the best version of myself I could possibly be. The day I met you almost 15 years, I knew that you were the woman I was meant to be with; I know our path has been rocky and windy, and I know that we have had our ups and downs, but from the moment you walked into my life I couldn't imagine ever loving anyone else; I know we have talked about getting married, and have even started planning it out; but I wanted you to have this, you deserve this special moment, this moment where I tell you that I can't live without you and promise you that I will love you until I take my last breath; Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, my Ace, will you make me the happiest man in the world and say that you will be my wife, my partner, and my other half." He got down on one knee and pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket and opened the tiffany blue box that every women dreams of seeing, "will you marry me?" he asked as he held the ring up to her.

Tears were streaming down her face; this was the most amazing and romantic moment of her life. As she wiped a tear from her eyes she was nodding her head yes. "Yes, Yes, a thousand times Yes! There is nothing in this world that would make me happier than being your wife. I love you so much." He stood up and placed the ring on her left hand, then pulled her into a hug and kissed her so deeply that she felt it through her entire body.

This, this right here was the happiest moment of her life so far and she was amazed by the man in her arms; the amount of love and thought and romance that he put into this just made her heart swell. That he knew how much it would mean to her to have this moment and how 'her' it was just confirmed what she already knew; Logan Huntzberger was her soul mate.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed, just borrowing them**

 **A/N: I know it has been a bit, sorry, it has been a busy week. I don't feel like this chapter is complete, but it is late and I am tired and I am not writing anymore tonight, so I thought I would at least give you what I worked on so far. Chapter 18 will pick up right were this one leaves off. I should be able to get it posted tomorrow. I am going out of town this weekend though, so the next update after that won't be until Sunday Night.**

 **Thank you for all the kind reviews, please keep them up!**

Chapter 17

Rory was nervous as she made her way to Stars Hollow. She had not been there since the day that she told her mom she was pregnant and they fought; she also hadn't talked to her mom since that day. She hated fighting with her, she really did; growing up, her mom had been her best friend, her person, but any time she had shown any interest in society life, her mom had not supported it. She thought back to when she was in High School and her and her grandfather first started getting close; her mom had been so unbelievably jealous and started a fight with her. Then there was the whole Yale thing, her mom had made such a big deal any time her grandparents had tried to persuade her to go to Yale or help her with the connections they had; looking back, she could see how selfish her mother was being. Basically, any time she had done anything that her mother didn't agree with, she gave her the cold shoulder and froze her out. Now though, now Rory was an adult and she was going to be a mother herself; and she was happy with Logan, they were going to be married and be a family; something she never really had growing up.

So here she was, taking the first step; she was heading to Stars Hollow to tell her mom about the engagement and the fact that she was having twins and hopefully this time Lorelai would be happy for her; or at least pretend, although knowing her mother, that wasn't likely. Lorelai was far more like Emily than she would ever care to admit; she wasn't one to hide her true feelings, and she didn't like when things did not go her way.

Rory pulled into the driveway of her childhood home; it had changed over the years with the extension of the upstairs and the fresh paint, but it still had that same feeling, the same familiarity that home has. She had missed it, she had missed this crazy town and all the wonderful people in it.

She parked her SUV behind a Jeep that looked like a newer version of her mom's old Jeep; she assumed that the old Jeep finally died and Luke had convinced her mom to get a new one. Rory took a deep breath before she got out and made her way to the porch; it had snowed recently and there were a few inches on the ground, but Luke had cleared a nice path from the driveway to the front porch and she could see the remnants of the salt he had put down on the steps and walkway. She climbed the three stairs to the large wraparound porch where she had spent many nights sitting in the very chairs that were sitting there, talking with her mom and figuring out life together. It made her sad to think about how much things had changed; but that is why she was here, she was here to extend an olive branch, to try and make amends. She started to just walk in, but then changed her mind and instead rang the doorbell; it felt wrong, but at the same time, where they were in their relationship, it would not feel right just walking in; this wasn't home anymore.

Lorelai opened the door and was shocked to see her daughter standing in front of her; she noticed how big she had gotten and took in the designer maternity clothes and expensive winter boots her daughter was wearing; she barely recognized her. "Rory, hey, um I wasn't expecting you." Lorelai stumbled out, unsure of what she was supposed to say; a big part of her just wanted to reach out to her daughter and say she was sorry, that she had been a jerk and could they please just move past it and start a new chapter; but the stubborn side of her, the Gilmore side if you would, just wouldn't let her. That side was keeping her rooted and just staring at her daughter, who was very pregnant and had a very large diamond on her left hand. Lorelai looked from her daughter's left hand to her face, and gave her a questioning look. "Come on in." She stepped aside and allowed Rory to walk into the house.

Not much had changed in the house; although she wasn't sure why she would expect it to, it had only been a few months since she had been here, but so much had happened that it felt like so much more time had passed. "Thanks. I am not staying long. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that Logan and I are getting married. I wanted you to hear it from me first and not through the rumor mill. I know Grandma wouldn't do that to me and tell you before I got a chance, at least not on purpose, but she and Shira will probably be putting the announcement in the paper soon and I just wanted you to hear it from me." There, she had said it. It wasn't the perfect way to tell her, but she also knew if she didn't just say it, the awkward conversation and visit would just draw out; plus it was kind of hard to miss the giant diamond ring on her left hand and she hadn't thought about wearing gloves.

"Oh, I see." That was all she could say. She didn't know what to say. Her daughter just announced her engagement to Logan Huntzberger, the heir to one of the largest fortunes in the country, in her front entryway; without taking off her jacket or sitting down or anything, just blurted it out; and she couldn't find it in herself to be happy for her. The Rory standing in front of her was not her Rory, she was not the girl that she had raised and tried to keep out of high society, she was not the girl that was supposed to do great things in journalism and be an overseas correspondent; she was a stranger to her. How had her daughter become a stranger to her in only a few months?

"That's it? You have nothing else to say?" Rory was frustrated. She knew that the way she told her wasn't exactly ideal, she knew her mother wasn't going to approve, but to actually see with her own two eyes that her mother was not happy for her that she was marrying the love of her life was a bit too much for her to handle right now.

"I don't know what you want me to say Rory. You know how I feel about the situation; that hasn't changed." Lorelai heard the words coming out of her mouth and she couldn't stop it, she was angry at herself instantly for saying something like that to her daughter when she was announcing her engagement; but at the same time, it was how she felt and she couldn't make herself lie about it. She didn't like Logan; she didn't like his family, or anything that he stood for. She didn't want her daughter to be some high society wife, going to luncheons and DAR meetings, raising her children with expectations of taking over HPG or working at the insurance company. That was everything she had ran away from, everything she had tried to keep Rory from; yet here they were full circle, Rory was running full speed towards everything that she had run full speed away from.

"I'm sorry you feel that way mom; but Logan is the love of my life, we are happy! He makes me so unbelievably happy, and despite everything over the last 10 or so years, we made our way back to each other; we are going to be a family! We are going to raise our twins in a loving family where they have a mom and a dad that love them more than anything. Maybe he will take over HPG or may she will; I don't know, maybe they will both want to work there; but the world is their oyster! They are going to grow up with everything they need, the best of everything; the best schools, an amazing house, the same house that you grew up in, any extra curricular that they want to participate in will be there for them to try, any musical instrument or voice lessons if they want to sing; whatever they need, they will have it. They won't have to struggle, they won't have to keep quiet about what they really want to do because they know that their mom can't afford it and they won't have to think about the fact that even though the rest of their family has money to make their life better and easier, their mom is too proud to ask for help. My children will have a wonderful life, and while I would love for you to be a part of it, if this is how you are going to be, then I don't want you there."

With that Rory turned around and walked to the door. Lorelai wanted to say something, she wanted to tell her to stop, to come back and talk about it; but she just stood there and watched her daughter walk away, saying nothing. Rory's words sunk in; the last part especially. She had never realized that Rory held that much resentment in for the way she was raised, she had always thought that she had done the right thing by running away; but now, now she wasn't so sure. Those last few lines changed the way she looked at Rory's childhood and made her question, for the first time, the decision she had made 32 years ago; by the time she opened her mouth to say something, Rory was already gone.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed, still don't own them.**

 **A/N: Okay, I think the initial timeline may have gotten a little away from me and I realized that I hadn't included the holidays, we are going to push her getting pregnant back to late spring so that we can do Christmas with her being as pregnant as she is; so right now we are going to be sitting in like November.**

 **Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, they really make me want to push out these chapters as quick as I can. I am going out of town this weekend though, so you will see another update on Sunday night (in America) at the earliest. Enjoy, and please as always review :D Thanks!**

Chapter 18

Rory pulled out of her mom's driveway and headed back to Hartford; she was angry, angry with herself and angry with her mom. She had went to Stars Hollow hoping that they would be able to talk, that her mom would be happy for her for once; instead, she got more of the same cold disapproval she always got from her mother when it came to anything that involved Hartford or high society. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised at the way her mother had reacted; she had expected it going in, but she had allowed herself to hope that she was wrong, that this time it would be different.

She straightened her back and wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape; she wasn't going to continue to cry over the same thing, and she certainly wasn't going to allow herself to be continually told that the life she was living was wrong. She was done, done trying, done reaching out, done trying to fix things when her mom obviously had no intention of conceding her opinion on Rory's life and Hartford Society; if her mother chooses to reach out and apologize and if she wants to be a part of Rory and Logan's life without constant criticism and snarky comments, then she won't turn her away, but Rory was done.

)( )(

Logan sat in Richard's old office of the Gilmore Mansion; he was trying to catch up on some work that he had brought to Hartford with him, and Rory had told him to work out of her grandfather's office. It was such a warm room, full of rich colors and dark wood and leather; it reminded him of Rory's grandfather so much. He had always loved Richard and had thought of him as his own grandfather in the years since he had first met him. When he first met Richard, he was a young college student with no real idea how the world actually worked; but, he and Richard had kept in touch over the years, any time Logan needed the wisdom and guidance that he couldn't get from his own grandfather, he called Richard. The advice was always sound and Logan was always very grateful for him. He knew that Richard would be happy if he were here to see him and Rory engaged and starting a family together; although the order reversal and circumstances surrounding it would have been met with a very firm lecture, of that he was sure.

Logan had taken the week off of work at the paper in New Hampshire; surprisingly his dad had readily agreed to it, and had even opened the discussions on transferring to a paper near or in Hartford. The more time he spent in this house, saw how comfortable Rory was here and listened to her talk about the memories she had in this house; the memories that they had in this house together, the more he knew that this was the place for their family. He planned on talking to Rory about it later that day when she got home from the visit with her mother; but he was already pretty confident that this is what she wants as well.

As if on cue, he looked up and saw her come into the office; his breath caught slightly at how beautiful she looked standing there, pregnant and glowing and so beautiful. "Hey baby, that wasn't a long trip. Everything okay?" He hadn't expected to see her back so soon, looking at the time she would have pretty much just driven over there and back. "Was your mom home? It has barely been an hour since you left." He saw her face fall and the tears start streaming down her face. He jumped up and ran over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"She was home, it went horrible. I told her, I told her that we were getting married and she just said 'I see'; that's it! No other response. So I asked her if that was all she was going to say and she just told me that I knew how she felt and that wasn't going to change. So I left." She tried to pull back the tears, but she was tired and angry and sad, and Logan made her feel so safe; he knew her inside and out and she knew she could just let go and just feel whatever she needed to feel and he would support her.

"I'm sorry that you are so upset and I wish there was something I could do." He rubbed her back and held her close. He was angry, so angry that Lorelai had made Rory so upset; I mean part of him understood, she had close to the same upbringing that he did, although he had to say Richard and Emily were much warmer than his parents had been, and he had thought more than once about running away from it all and starting a life of his own; a life far removed from society and all of the expectations and responsibilities that came with it. He had never been able to actually follow through though. The closest he came was when he was right out of college and he quit his dad's company and tried to venture out on his own; but that did not work out the way he expected it to and he was back at his family's company within two years. So, he completely understood where Lorelai was coming from when she ran away, but her irrational aversion to Rory having anything to do with that world was ridiculous; and her reaction to the engagement and pregnancy was something he would expect from his family, not Rory's.

"I don't know why I am so upset, it was exactly the reaction I expected from her; but it still hurt, you know? It still hurt to see on her face that she was not happy for me at all." Logan reached over and grabbed her a tissue and she wiped her eyes. She felt better after crying it out and really didn't want to dwell on it anymore. "If it is ok with you though, I really don't want to talk about it right now; I will just keep getting upset and I just don't want to think about it anymore."

"That is fine with me, I hate seeing you upset." He took a deep breath, he wasn't sure if this was the right time to bring it up, but it had been on his mind all day and he really just wanted to get it out there in the universe. "There is something I wanted to talk to you about though. I was talking to my dad earlier today and he offered me a position at one of the papers in this area; if it is what you want, I will take the job and we can live here." He looked over at her face and could see the smile creeping in.

"Here, as in Hartford? Or here as in this house?" She really hoped it was the latter, because she absolutely loved living in this house and had thought a lot about raising her children here, a third generation of her family living in the same house that her grandparents had bought over 50 years ago.

"Here as in this house. I can tell how much you love living here, and it is a beautiful home that already has so many wonderful memories in it. I can see us here, together, raising our children, having parties and dinners with our friends and business associates. Spending summer afternoons by the pool, turning the pool house into the children's get away when they get older. I can picture it all and it just feels right." He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, but ever since they had gotten back together, he had vowed to himself that he was always going to be open and honest with her; miscommunications and not being honest with how they were feeling was the main contributor to how things had gotten so royally screwed up between them and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

"I think that would be amazing; also, I have been thinking as well. You told me before that it was up to me whether or not I wanted to work; and to be honest, I don't think I want to work while our kids are young; I want to be able to experience everything with them, and honestly it isn't like we need my income, so I think I would like to put in my notice at the insurance company. What do you think?" She had been thinking about this ever since he said he would support her regardless of her decision; she had always thought she would be a working mom, in fact until the last couple weeks she hadn't even considered the fact that she had the option to not work. If she were really being completely honest with herself, she had always wished she could be a stay-at-home-mom but that option had never been one that she ever felt she could truly choose; now though, now she could and she really wanted to.

"I think that if that is what you want, that is what you should do." He leaned in and kissed her sweetly. "But I also love the idea of you being home with our babies and would fully support you if that is what you want." He was happy to hear Rory say that she wanted to stay at home; he knew it was old fashioned of him and he hadn't realized how much he wanted this until she said it was what she wanted too. He knew that she wouldn't be like his mother had been growing up; despite the fact that she didn't work, the nannies still did all the work with him and Honor; in fact he had very few fond childhood memories of his mother. He wanted his children to grow up surrounded by love and he knew that she would do that.

)( )(

Logan sat behind the large mahogany desk and leaned back in his chair, he was about to call his parents and he was preparing himself; he knew they would be happy with everything he was going to tell them; but, he still had to mentally prepare himself for a conversation with Mitchum and Shira.

His father answered after the third ring. "Logan, my boy, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked in his typical loud voice and slightly insincere tone.

"Hey dad, I just wanted to talk to you about the offer you made earlier in regards to moving me to a newspaper here in Hartford. I talked it over with Rory and we prefer to live here in Hartford if you can support that move. We will be living here in the Gilmore house, Emily has already transferred it over to Rory's name." He waited nervously for his father's reply, half expecting his father to tell him that he hand changed his mind and was no longer supporting a move to Hartford; but his father's reply was quick and positive.

"That sounds like a great plan son, and I would gladly move you to a paper here in Hartford; I will start drawing up the paperwork and you should be able to start next week." Mitchum paused for a moment and thought about how to approach the next topic, but decided to just be blunt and to the point like his normal self. "Have you and Rory discussed whether or not she is going to continue to work now that you two are getting married and starting a family? I know your mother has mentioned that the ladies at the DAR have been asking about her and wondering when she is going to start coming to meetings again." Normally he didn't listen to much of what Shira had to say, but Rory and Logan have been the hot topic recently and many discussions have been had about how to make sure the best face is put forward in this situation; one of which is Rory no longer working at the insurance company and another being the importance of Rory being active in the DAR and other social groups that are expected of a Huntzberger.

"Actually, we have already discussed that; Rory has decided not to work from here on out. She is going to put in her notice at the insurance company and finish up all projects she was working on. She is still hesitant to return to the DAR because she is very obviously pregnant and we are not married; she is worried about the perception that gives; however, once we are married she fully intends to attend all DAR meetings and become an active member again." Logan was so thankful that everyone was on the same page; he would support Rory in whatever decision she made, and would defend any decisions that his family did not agree with, but she was really making that pretty easy so far by adhering to all the societal expectations.

Mitchum was please and somewhat surprised that Rory and Logan had already had these conversations; and even more pleased and surprised that they were making all the correct decisions on their own. "Your mother will be very pleased to hear that. I know she and Emily are going full speed ahead on the wedding plans, although I am sure Rory has told you all about that."

"She has, we would really like to get it done before Christmas, go into the holidays as a married couple. We have discussed having a Christmas Party here at the house and would prefer to be married when doing so; it is just poor form otherwise."

"I think that is sound reasoning and logic; I am sure the three of them have a good handle on it." Mitchum then switched gears and he and Logan spent the next hour discussing the job that Logan would be starting next week and what would be expected of him.

Logan hung up the phone and was amazed at how pleasant of a conversation he had just had with his father; things had really changed a lot over the years as he had matured and fulfilled his responsibility within the company, but they were getting even better now that he was giving his family another Huntzberger heir and getting married to a woman of good social standing, that was a member of the DAR and already had societal connections; it was like he was finally being fully accepted by his family, and he had to admit, it felt good.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Still not mine**

 **A/N: Okay, I know I said I was going out of town and not updating, but after some of the reviews, I felt like I needed to post a chapter to show how Rory got to the point she is and that it isn't about the money or the prestige of being a socialite, but instead is focused around her desire to be a mother, a wonderful and involved mother; I think any of you working moms out there reading this will be able to relate to her thinking and reasoning for why she wants to not work, children change you, they change what you want out of life, and working moms are usually filled with so much guilt for missing things, or being to busy to be a part of the PTA or make it to all the extra curriculars. . . .That is what I am trying to capture in her character, not her desire to be just like Shira or Emily, but to fit into that world and still manage to be herself at the same time.**

 **I hope you enjoy! And as always, please review**

Chapter 19

Rory sat down behind the desk and opened her computer. She stared at the screen in front of her and closed her eyes for a second; the book she had started about her and her mom's life was so much harder for her to write now, so much had changed between them and it hurt so much to think about it. She knew she wasn't completely innocent in the rift between her and her mother, but she also wasn't the only one responsible for their fight.

She opened her eyes and began writing; she started writing about the good times and the bad times of her growing up, she explored both sides of her childhood; both what was said and what was left unsaid, what she enjoyed and what she had wished was different. The words just flew out of her and onto the computer screen and it felt so therapeutic to get it all out. By the time she was done, she looked at the word count and saw that she had written another 30 pages of her book; she forgot how much she loved writing, even if it had only been a few months since she had written anything, it felt like it had been years.

She stared down at her left hand and the beautiful ring that sat on her ring finger and her mind started drifting. She had changed a lot over the last few months, some people would say that she was a completely different person; that she wasn't the same Rory she had always been; the fierce and independent woman who was going to take the world by storm. Reality was, she wasn't succeeding at taking the world by storm and she had barely succeeded at being independent. She wasn't sure where things went sideways, it had started out so great with the job on the campaign trail; some of her stories had even been nationally published, but then she had gone stagnant, hit a plateau. There were jobs here and there, she had gotten picked up by the New Yorker for a story; but the full time position just wasn't there and she had floundered. She had ended up back in Stars Hollow at her mom's house in her old bedroom working at the Stars Hollow Gazette for a pitiful pay that wouldn't even allow her to pay rent and utilities, let alone anything extra, and her stuff was in boxes scattered between London (well I guess the London boxes were probably actually in New Hampshire now), Stars Hollow, and Hartford. She had fallen so far from the golden child of Stars Hollow and it had killed her spirit.

The move to the insurance company had been one of necessity so she didn't really regret putting in her notice now that she and Logan were getting married; she really looked forward to raising her children without having to run off to various places for work. She had seen how much her grandfather had traveled over the years, heard the stories from her mom about how much he had traveled when she was growing up, and she didn't want that; it wasn't about the fact that she was going to be a Huntzberger and Huntzberger women didn't work, it was about her experiencing all the milestones and being there to help them get ready for school dances, be at their sporting events if the played any sports, or their band concerts, or gymnastics, or dance, or whatever it is that they are doing at the time; she wanted to be there. She knew she wasn't going to be a perfect mom, but she really hoped she was as close to her children as her and her mom had been growing up. Recently she had brought up a lot of the bad things, the things she had resented, but overall her mom had been her best friend and she really really missed her.

)( )(

Lorelai stared at the phone; she had started to dial Rory's number about fifty times. It had been about a week since Rory had come to the house and told her that she was getting married and she had thought about the fight that ensued every day; she played the words over in her head countless times; there had been so many things that she had not ever realized bothered Rory about the way she had grown up, and she was so mad at herself the she had missed it, that she had let her stubborn pride to do things on her own, away from her parents, make Rory feel so torn between worlds. Part of her knew that she was being irrational, that all people from money were not these evil vindictive people; but she also hated that world and the way it worked, the way you really couldn't trust anyone and there always seemed to be an ulterior motive. Unfortunately, she had let this hatred infringe on her relationship with Rory; she knew she needed to try and be supportive, she wanted to be there when Rory became a mom, she wanted to be the first person Rory called when she had a question about one of the babies or when she just needed some help because she was exhausted and hadn't slept for more than 2 hours at a time in days or weeks; she wanted to be there to watch her grandchildren grow up. It hadn't escaped her attention that Rory said something about both a girl and a boy, which sounded like she was having twins; her daughter was having twins and she had found out during a fight! She should have been there with her the day she found out, or at least been the first phone call she made, but she wasn't, she hadn't been, she was looking in from the outside on her daughter's life and it was killing her.

Her mental rant was cut short by the vibration of her phone, she looked down and saw Rory's name and wasn't sure what to expect. She answered the phone hesitantly but excited as well. "Hey kid, what's up? Everything okay?"

"No mom, everything is not okay, I miss you okay? I miss us and I would really like to talk. Can you come over tonight and have dinner with me and Logan?" Rory wasn't sure how her mom was going to respond, but she knew she needed to put the olive branch out there; she had to at least try one more time.

"Uhm, yeah, sure I can come tonight." Lorelai was surprised but happy, maybe she and Rory would be able to get over this after all.

"Okay, uhm great, see you at 7." Rory felt awkward and unnatural and it didn't feel like she was talking to her mom; hopefully they will be able to mend their relationship, and hopefully her mom doesn't completely freak out when she tells her that she isn't going to work anymore and instead is going to basically be an Emily Gilmore.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long since I updated, between the holidays and writer's block this chapter was just a beast to write. I am starting to find my inspiration again now that things are calming down and I have some time to sit down in the evenings and write. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own them.**

Chapter 20

The dinner was going well so far. Lorelai had kept her snide remarks to a minimum and was even being nice to Logan; in fact, she had even made some small talk about how work had been going for him and congratulated him on the engagement. Rory was thankful, but she was also waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Before she knew it dinner was over and they were heading to the parlor for some post dinner coffee and dessert. Unfortunately, at Logan's insistence, she had given up coffee completely because it wasn't good for the babies, especially at the high volume that she consistently consumed it; she missed it, but she knew it was for the best. She walked over to the drink cart and poured a cup for her mother and then looked at Logan, with a nod he told her that he would also like a cup; she just loved how they could communicate with simple looks and gestures, words not always necessary. Her gaze moved over to her mother and she saw her scrutinizing the exchange between the two of them, the look on her face one of disdain instead of happiness, which she quickly masked when she realized that Rory was looking at her.

Rory walked over with two cups in her hand, she handed one to her mother, sans any cream or sugar, and one to Logan, with three sugars and four cream just the way he liked it. She took a deep whiff before handing it off and then stared longingly at the cup as he took a sip.

"I'm sorry dear, you know you can't have any" Logan told her with pure amusement on his face, "but I can have them make you a pot of decaf if that will help you with your withdrawals from the real stuff." He laughed as she pouted.

"Yes please, and will you ask them to bring that pumpkin spice creamer I love so much?" She could hardly believe that she was agreeing to such a sacrilege as decaf coffee, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do and she loved the taste of coffee more than she needed the caffeine.

Lorelai looked back and forth between the two during the exchange; she felt sad because she felt like she didn't connect with this version of her daughter and she felt angry that she was changing so much into exactly what she had never wanted her to be; and she felt happiness that she could see the love between Rory and Logan, even if he wasn't who she wanted her daughter to end up with.

"So, how is everything going with the pregnancy? Have you gotten any cravings yet?" Lorelai attempted to make some safe small talk, it was hard to start a fight over pregnancy cravings and she was trying really hard to maintain a positive attitude towards the whole situation.

"Everything is going great" Rory subconsciously started rubbing her swollen stomach. "They are moving more and more and have less and less room, so that is interesting. As far as cravings go, I have craved salad and fruit more than anything, that and steak! Oh my goodness I think Rita has made me steak about three times a week for the last month or so." Rory and Logan shared a look and both started laughing.

"I still can't believe how much healthy food she makes us keep in that kitchen. It is crazy to hear Rory Gilmore have a craving for carrots in the middle of the night." Logan reached over and rubbed her stomach affectionately and she reached down and put her hand on top of his in a natural way that just made his heart swell.

"Wow, healthy stuff huh? That's crazy. So no tater tots and pizza and pickles with ice cream?" Lorelai felt so out of place and awkward and she hated feeling like that with Rory; they were supposed to be best friends and things between them were supposed to be easy and happy, not stressed and forced. "So, uhm, have you picked any names yet?" Hopefully this was another safe topic that should not lead to an argument.

Rory and Logan looked at each other and silently communicated with one another. He gave her a small nod indicating that he thought it would be fine to share it with her. They weren't completely sure on the names yet, but they weren't too sure that Lorelai would like what they were leaning towards. "Uhm, yeah we are still throwing names around, but we are pretty set on the boy child's name; Richard Elias Huntzberger and for the girl child we are leaning towards Emily Olivia Huntzberger. We plan on calling him Eli and her Livy." Rory was nervous, she wasn't sure how her mother would respond to hearing that they were naming their children after both her and Logan's grandparents, but it was really important to both of them that they carry on that family name and legacy and her grandparents had played such a big role in her life that she felt strongly about them being her children's namesake.

"Those are nice names. Very strong society names." Lorelai felt like she had been punched in the gut; she wasn't sure what it was about the names that bothered her so much. Perhaps it was the fact that it was just one more thing that proved her daughter was running head strong into society; the names just screamed old family and old money, it was everything she ran away from, and everything that Rory wanted. "Well," she looked down at her watch, "I should really get going, it is getting late and I still need to drive back to Stars Hollow." She stood up and walked over to Rory and they just sort of awkwardly looked at one another, neither completely sure of what to do.

"Oh, okay." Rory responded, caught a little off guard by her mother's abrupt desire to leave for the night. "Well thank you for driving over and having dinner with us. Drive safe and please let me know when you make it home." Rory leaned in and gave her mom an awkward hug that Lorelai tentatively returned.

"Yeah, no problem Kid. It was, uhm nice." She pulled back from the hug and looked over to Logan. "It was nice to see you again Logan." She reached out her hand in order to shake his and he returned the gesture.

"Yes, it was nice of you to join us. You are welcome any time." Logan felt extremely awkward. He saw the looks pass over Lorelai's face through the evening, he knew she wasn't happy about the situation and that she didn't want him and Rory together. He knew that he was the epitome of everything that she ran away from and turned her back on; but, she was just going to have to accept that Rory was not her and she had made different choices in her life.

"Yeah, we are planning on having a big Thanksgiving dinner here next week if you and Luke would like to join us." Rory added on "Grandma is coming, so are Mitchum and Shira, and our friends from Yale Colin, Finn, and Stephanie are also coming." Rory doubted her mother would actually take her up on her offer, but she felt it only right to extend the invitation to her.

"Uhm, yeah, uhm, I don't know, maybe?" Lorelai stammered, completely caught off guard, she would rather eat her own foot for Thanksgiving than sit in a room with that crowd. "I will talk to Luke, but you know how Thanksgiving is in Stars Hollow, I don't know if I will have time to get over here. Thanks for the invite though, I will keep it in mind." Lorelai knew she should accept the olive branch invitation, but she just couldn't. She could not sit through a dinner with all those people and listen to Rory plan her 'perfect society life'; she just wasn't there yet.

"Okay, well just let me know so I can let Rita know how many people to cook for." Rory was slightly relived that her mom wouldn't be coming and that made her feel guilty.

Rory walked Lorelai to the front door while Logan stayed back and allowed them to have a private moment. They exchanged another awkward hug and made promises to meet up again soon.

After she shut the door behind her mom, Rory walked back into the parlor where Logan was drinking a second cup of coffee and she saw her freshly brewed very delicious smelling decaf coffee with just the right shade of brown from the added creamer. "Thank you baby, this smells delicious." She said fondly and leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips, which he gladly returned. "So . . . that didn't go too terribly bad right?"

"Definitely better than I thought it would, although it is obvious that she isn't too happy about the names we picked out." He responded guardedly, despite the fact that Lorelai and Rory were on the outs right now, he still respected that relationship enough that he wasn't going to say anything too negative about Lorelai; after all, she is still Rory's mom and at one point her best friend. While he doubted they would ever get to that point again, he really hoped that the two are able to work through their issues and at least have a cordial relationship with one another.

"Well that is just too bad for her because I love those names and I don't plan on changing my mind." Now that her mom was gone, she knew she could drop her guard and let her real feelings be known; she didn't have to force herself into false niceties or bite her tongue. "And I think we both know that there isn't a chance in Hell that she is going to come to Thanksgiving. I was the one who had to drag her here when I was younger and that was hard enough, there is no way she will come if there are 5 more 'society snobs' in attendance and more reminders of how I am completely immersing myself into this world that she hates so much."

At this point, the hormones kicked in and she was angry and sad and frustrated and she really just needed to let out some frustration. Logan walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "It will all work out the way it is supposed to work out. If she doesn't come, she doesn't come, we will still have a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends and family, the first of many Thanksgivings we will have in this house. If she doesn't like the names, too bad, they are our children and those are the names that we have picked and the names that mean something to us and our grandparents and my parents; she doesn't get a say, it isn't her life." He pulled back and looked down into her eyes and saw so much sadness in them and it killed him. He leaned in and kissed her face just above the cheekbone on either side. "I love you, and I love our life, and I love the way we are going. That is what matters; that we love each other and we are happy. Everything else will just fall into place. Now let's go upstairs and relieve some of that tension." He winked at her and slapped her on the butt; she giggled and blushed and then gladly followed him upstairs. She could definitely use some stress relief.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I am already working on the next chapter, but I am really trying to get the character interaction right, so I am going to go ahead and give you this one. It may take a day or two for the next chapter, it is just going to have so many characters and I want to make sure I get it right!**

 **Enjoy, and as always thank you for the reviews and keep them coming :D**

Chapter 21

It was the day before Thanksgiving and Rory was in manic mode trying to nail down all the final details for the dinner they were hosting the following day. Her Grandmother was coming, as were Logan's parents and his grandfather Elias as well as Honor and Josh with their three children; then Colin and his girlfriend, Finn, and Stephanie along with her fiancé. She had also extended the invitation to her father and he had quickly and gladly accepted and asked if his mother and Gigi could attend as well. Her mother had called the day after their dinner to give her regrets that she would not be able to make it to Thanksgiving and Rory was not surprised and to be honest, slightly relieved; she really didn't have the patience to deal with her mom's immature behavior that abounded when around a society setting. Finally on the guest list was Paris, this would be her first round of holidays since the divorce and she wasn't taking it as well as she liked to put off so Rory had made sure to include her on the invite list. That made the guest's list a grand total of 16 adults and 5 children. For a minute she tried to think of any of her married friends that had an odd number of children in order to round out the kid's table, but then decided she was just being silly and dismissed the idea.

Rory was setting up a special kid size table right next to the main table in the dining room so that the children weren't excluded but also weren't expected to be mindful of the fine china and décor that would be on the main table. She had went to several stores before she found all the decorations for it, but she had managed to make an almost exact replica of her dining room table in all non-breakable decorations and dishes and washable fabric. She enjoyed the idea of this becoming a tradition once the twins came; having a house full of family and friends and the kids being right there instead of in a different room, secluded from the adults and being watched by nannies and maids, and having their own little thanksgiving table exactly like their parents.

Eventually Colin and Finn would settle down and get married, have the next heirs to their family fortunes, and she knew Stephanie and her fiancé were planning on starting their family as soon as they got married in the spring. The idea of all their children growing up together just made her smile, but she intended to make sure the next generation did not feel as mutually excluded and obligated as this generation did. Since she was not planning on working except writing her book, and any subsequent books that came to her mind and needed to escape to paper, she had made a vow to herself that every party they threw would have a secondary party especially for the children of those in attendance, as the children grew, so would the themes of the parties.

Her ringing cell phone shook her out of her internal musings; she looked at the screen and saw it was the florist; she must be on her way to the house to drop off the centerpieces. "Hello Diane, please tell me you are almost here." Rory answered, all business.

"Yes Ms. Gilmore, I am just down the street and will be there soon." Diane was a sweet older lady and had been working with Emily Gilmore for years, so she was very happy when Emily's granddaughter had resumed the business relationship; after all, Emily had been one of her biggest clients and she hoped that the younger Ms. Gilmore would be just big of a client.

"Perfect, just pull around back and I will have someone meet you to help you carry it in. I will meet you in the dining room." Rory hung up with the florist and went to tell the maids to meet her out back. She went into the dining room and was taking in the space when Diane walked in with the first of four loads of flowers. Once they were all placed in the dining room, she took in the effect. The cornucopia in the center of the table was absolutely stunning and perfect. "Diane, these are just wonderful, you have really out done yourself! I absolutely love it all."

"Great, I am so glad, and thank you." Diane reached out and shook Rory's hand. "I will send someone over on Friday morning to retrieve anything you don't want to keep as part of your normal fall décor."

"Sounds perfect, Thank you Diane. And Happy Thanksgiving." Rory walked with her to the door and saw her out then went back to finalizing all the decorations for the dinner tomorrow. She was not as specific as her grandmother with the tapered candles being a certain height with certain spacing, but she did want it to look just right since it was going to be her and Logan's first event they were hosting in their house as a couple.

Rory spend the rest of the day finalizing the menu with Rita, as well as introducing and familiarizing the additional cooks she had hired for the event with the kitchen and Rita, and going through her very long check list to make sure that every detail was covered and ensuring that tomorrow would go off without a hitch. She had hired additional wait staff as well as 3 servers/maids to make sure that her normal staff wasn't overworked and made sure that the guest rooms were ready with fresh linen and their bathrooms stocked with fluffy towels and plush bathrobes. She knew her grandmother was going to be staying the night, and while she wasn't sure if Colin, Finn and Steph were going to stay, she wouldn't be surprised and wanted to be ready just in case.

She and Logan had finally told the crew that they were having a baby together and they had reacted exactly how they thought they would, pure happiness and excitement for the two. She believed Finn's exact words were "It's about time you got your head out of your ass Mate, and dumped that French shrew and made a somewhat honest woman out of Reporter girl here." While Steph just squealed very loudly and asked when they could go shopping and Colin responded in typical fashion with asking when the two of them were getting married and did they need a good lawyer to take care of all the trust fund paperwork.

Rory and Logan had decided they would do a small wedding with just immediate family and close friends at the beginning of December. Emily and Shira had already planned it all out and all she and Logan really had to do was show up. She had gotten her dress at a little boutique and absolutely loved it, it had an empire waist and had flowing silky fabric that came down to the floor. It was perfect because even if her belly had grown between the time she first got it and her wedding day, it would still fit just fine.

Speaking of dresses, she still had to decide what she was going to wear tomorrow for dinner, she wanted to go casual, but that wasn't completely possible so instead she had compromised and went with business casual for the dress code; that meant she could get away with wearing a pair of her comfortable maternity slacks she had bought for work and a nice sweater; because it was Thanksgiving she wanted to go with warm rich tones but she had gone through her closet several times and still couldn't decide on anything. She picked up her cell phone and called Stephanie who answered on the third ring.

"Rory! Darling! Let me guess, you have nothing to wear and we need to go shopping?" Stephanie answered happily.

"How did you know?!" Rory asked in response, but really not surprised. She and Steph had kept in touch over the years, but recent events had brought them a lot closer and they now talked every day and had constant shopping trips, although those were typically centered around the twins. "Yes! I am in need of a shopping trip ASAP! Can you meet me at the mall in an hour?"

"You bet your cute little pregnant butt I can!" Steph replied happily, she loved shopping and she loved Rory's adorable pregnant belly. She couldn't wait to get pregnant and start her family; her and her fiancé already decided they would start trying right away, after all she wasn't getting any younger and at 35 pregnancies get riskier; that was just right around the corner for her!

"Great! See you soon; I will be the tired looking pregnant woman with a decaf coffee in yoga pants so don't you dare even think of dressing cute!" Rory had always enjoyed dressing comfortable, but ever since she started really showing and started to lose sight of her feet, she chose comfort over style unless she was absolutely forced to due to societal obligations. Today she was rocking her favorite Ugg boots, black leggings and a Yale sweatshirt that was starting to get a bit tight around the middle.

"I wouldn't dream of it dear friend, I will be the one in yoga pants and a messy bun drinking decaf coffee in solitude with my pregnant best friend." Stephanie gladly responded; yet another one of the perks of being best friends with a pregnant woman, no obligation to look cute while going out, yoga pants and a sweatshirt with her favorite Nikes it would be.

The two friends spent most of the afternoon shopping and Rory finally managed to find an outfit for the dinner the next day. She ended up going with a very cute but comfortable sweater dress and some new boots and thick tights to go with it. She also got all the accessories she would need to include a patterned scarf and some solitaire diamond earrings. Stephanie got a few new outfits as well, but overall the shopping trip was a lot smaller than the norm.

They parted ways and Rory headed home ready for some alone time with Logan. He should be home from the office by the time she got home from the mall and she was craving Chinese food so she stopped by her favorite place and got some take out. Her plan was to come home and curl up on the couch in the upstairs TV room and watch some classic Breakfast at Tiffany's and maybe even Roman Holiday; she was in a Audrey Hepburn mood.

She walked into the house with enough Chinese food for 5 people and went in search of Logan. She found him in the study with a glass of scotch and a pile of papers that he was reviewing. "Good evening darling," she said in her best imitation of an accent from the old film era "would you care to join me for some Chinese food and Breakfast at Tiffany's upstairs?" she held up the Chinese food bag and chopsticks and gave him her best sultry stare.

"There is nothing I would rather do," he got up, walked over to her, and took the bag out of her hand then leaned in for a kiss. "But I will have to settle for just some Chinese food; I am swamped with work and I will probably be up late getting through all of this."

Rory pouted but she understood "I suppose I will have to take what I can get" She sauntered, well more like waddled, out of the room and looked over her shoulder, "one of us has to bring home the bacon after all, especially after the shopping trip Steph and I had today."

Logan groaned, playing along. "Do I need to order a new black card yet? I am sure the strip will be wearing out soon."

"Not yet, give it a month or so." Rory laughed as the two of them made their way upstairs. She was so happy; she smiled so much that her face hurt and her heart just felt so full. If you had told her a year ago that this is where she would be now, she would have laughed in your face and told you that you were crazy, but now, now she couldn't imagine her life any other way.

The two of them settled in on the oversized sectional in the TV room and laid out all the options of Chinese food on the coffee table in front of them, turned on Netflix and pulled up an episode of the New Girl and just enjoyed one another's company until it was time for him to get back to his work.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Sorry sorry, I know it has been way too long since I updated, but it was really hard for me to get this chapter just right. I hope you enjoy it and as always please please please review, and thank you for everyone who has reviewed so far!

Chapter 22

Rory looked around the room; everything looked perfect. The table was set with deep golden yellow china with a thin brown line around the rim, the crisp white napkins had a simple wooden ring around them, and the silver was polished so well that you could see your reflection in the spoon. The centerpieces were gorgeous; the florist had really outdone herself on the cornucopia and the large wooden candlesticks with simple orange candles completed the look.

She had just checked with Rita and dinner was right on track to be ready at 4:30 and the first of the appetizers were coming out of the oven and getting ready to be served by the wait staff. She had decided to go with a full hour of drinks and appetizers before dinner and went very traditional in her choices of sides and dessert; Rita made an Apple, Chocolate, and Pumpkin pie for dessert and Rory couldn't stop thinking about how delicious they were going to be.

She should be happy, she should be excited to have her first thanksgiving in her home with all her family and friends; but she was sad. She was sad that her mother wasn't going to be there with her to share in this occasion. She couldn't remember a time in which they didn't spend this day together, in many ways this holiday was more important than Christmas when she was growing up considering the love affair she and her mom had with food. She thought back to the year that they had four Thanksgiving dinners and for the first time, it didn't make her smile, it made her sad.

She reached for her phone and without thinking she dialed the number that used to be so familiar but had become less familiar in recent months. It rang twice then went to voicemail. She heard her mom's goofy voice in the greeting prompting her to leave a message; instead, her pride swelled within her at the fact that she had been sent to voicemail and instead hit the little red button and threw the phone gracelessly down onto the table next to her. With a huff and a swift hand through her hair she was determined to not think about it. She looked to her right and saw the kids table, sitting there looking exactly like the main table only miniaturized and that brought a smile to her face. Her mind started to wander about how it would be once the twins made their arrival and her house really started to become a home; she really couldn't wait to meet her beautiful little babies. She took one last look around the dining room and then turned swiftly to head up to start getting ready; after all, her guest would be arriving within a few hours and pregnancy was already slowing her down.

)( )(

Lorelai was rushing around trying to get everything ready at the Inn for the big Stars Hollow Thanksgiving dinner. This year was going to be one of the biggest years yet and it was being hosted at the Dragonfly Inn; while she was very excited about Thanksgiving, because hello, Pie, she was also struggling with not spending it with Rory.

She still felt guilty for turning down Rory's invitation to dinner at her house; but she just couldn't bring herself to go there and pretend that it was okay with her that Rory was becoming everything that she had ran away from. It was hard to see her turning into everything that Emily had wanted her to be from the time she was born, everything that she had sworn off. Lorelai knew that Rory seemed happy, and that was the hardest part, that her daughter who she had tried to raise in a simpler world away from all the high society drama was happy right smack dab in the middle of it all. She should have known that Rory couldn't keep one foot in and one foot out forever that eventually she would have to choose; but she had hoped that she would choose different.

As she was heading into the kitchen to check with Sookie on some last minute details on the food, she felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket. She pulled out her phone and saw Rory's name and face flashing on her screen; she started to answer it, but then decided she was too busy to deal with either a guilt trip or an argument so she sent it to voicemail instead. She bounded into the kitchen with a fake happy smile and pushed down the pang of guilt she felt and instead poured herself a cup of coffee and started finalizing everything with her eccentric best friend.

)( )(

Rory was just putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard the doorbell ring followed by the unmistakable voice of her Grandmother floating through the house. She smiled to herself before walking down and greeting her.

"Good afternoon Grandma how was the drive?" She asked, as she walked into the room "Not too much traffic I hope."

Emily smiled at her beautiful and very pregnant granddaughter and walked over to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek "As good as one can expect. People in this state really don't know how to drive and the traffic was insufferable; never mind all that though, I am here now and in desperate need of a martini." She walked into the front room and to the drink cart and started mixing herself a drink. "You look radiant my dear, absolutely radiant. Pregnancy looks good on you." Emily continued, not missing a beat as she prepared her martini.

"Thank you Grandma" Rory smiled and unconsciously reached down and rubbed her very large stomach. "I feel like a house, but I am sure that by the end I will look back on these times with fondness and wish I were only this size again."

At 28 weeks pregnant with twins, Rory looked the size most women with only one baby look at their 8 month mark, but she held it almost all in her stomach with her arms and legs remaining lean; although she had quite a bit more junk in her trunk to even out the very large belly on the front.

"Well you carry it well, I am sure any woman who sees you is insanely jealous of how wonderful you look." Emily continued on.

"Thank you Grandma, I think I just have good genetics, plus all this healthy food that the babies are craving are helping I am sure." Rory laughed lightly. She still couldn't believe the number of salads and fruits and vegetables as well as baked chicken and fish she had consumed during this pregnancy. She was weary of the fish, but her doctor had assured her that in small amounts and as long as they were well cooked, she had nothing to worry about.

Just then their conversation was cut short by the doorbell, announcing the arrival of the first of their dinner guests. Stephanie and her fiancé made their way into the front room, followed by Logan who had finally pulled himself out of the study where he had been trying to get some work done before the guests arrived. The house quickly filled as all the guests arrived; on cue, the extra wait staff began serving drinks and appetizers.

Finn came bounding over in his typical fashion and engulfed her in a hug "Hello Love! Don't you just look absolutely ravishing, all glowing and full of mommy to be essence." He leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek then turned to Logan "And Logan, old chap you did quite a fine job with our reporter girl here! I can't believe we are going to have two of your offspring gracing us with their presence in just a few short months." He tipped his champagne glass back and downed the last bit of the delicious nectar within.

"Finn, it is my pleasure as always to have you in our humble abode. I do hope you enjoy the salmon puffs, they are to die for." She laughed at their eccentric friend.

"I'll say, I already did Love, and you are most certainly right, they are absolutely divine. Now please tell me that there will be a beautiful red head in attendance for me to declare my undying love for so that I can hope to be half as happy as you and my best mate here." He looked at her with what one may describe as a pouty face, but it was hard to keep a straight face while looking at him, let alone actually feel pity on him.

"I tried mate," Logan said while slinging his arm around his friend's shoulder "but alas, the ol' ball and chain here vetoed it." He smirked and pointed toward Rory "I did try and get you a few red heads on the wait staff though."

"I appreciate it mate." Just then a cute redhead walked by holding a tray of champagne and caught his eye. "Oh, hello love, where have you been all my life?" they could hear him professing as he followed after her.

"Some things never change," she laughed as she watched the slightly surprised waitress start to succumb to the Aussie's charm.

"He may eventually meet the red head of his dreams and settle down." Logan could barely suppress the grin as he thought about his oldest friend as a husband and father.

"Yes, I mean the great Logan Huntzberger managed to be tamed, much to the chagrin of socialites and social climbers everywhere." Rory responded tongue in cheek and was met with his laughter and agreement.

Logan and Rory continued their playful banter and started making the rounds, talking with all their guests and Rory receiving many a compliment on how amazing she looked and how much pregnancy agreed with her. Before they knew it, dinner was being announced and they were all making their way into the dining room.

"Oh, look at this! Isn't this just darling!" She heard Shira exclaim as she walked into the dining room. Rory knew instantly that she was referring to the kids' table. "Oh and this table is gorgeous Rory! You really outdid yourself, you definitely take after your grandmother."

Rory swelled with pride, she had put so much thought and effort into the décor of the dining room and was glad to see that she had impressed her soon to be mother-in-law. She locked eyes with Logan and he gave her one of his big smiles that made her heart flutter.

"Thank you Shira, I used the florist that my grandmother always uses for the centerpieces, she did an amazing job didn't she?"

At that point Honor came over and gave Rory a huge sisterly hug "Oh Rory, I just love the kids' table. That is seriously the most adorable thing I have ever seen! They are so excited. You definitely scored cool Aunt points on this one."

Rory looked over and saw Honor and Paris's kids sitting around the table with looks of awe and wonderment at the fact that not only did they have a cool table just like the adults, but also it was in the same room!

"Yeah Gilmore, you did good." Paris piped in in her typical no nonsense and slightly strained voice. "You're really coming into this whole society wife and mother thing. While normally I would say that you're a sellout, in this case I actually agree with your decision." She continued, with her hands in her pockets and her head slightly nodding up and down as she spoke. Leave it to Paris to be blunt and to the point on the newest situation.

"Thanks Paris, your support means the world to me." Rory responded with a slight eye roll and her typical sarcastic tone when talking to her friend of 18 years. Although the beginning of their relationship was rocky, she couldn't imagine life without Paris in it.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, the conversation was lively and she only had to remind Paris to tone it down about 10 times, which really was some type of record, and tell Finn to watch his language and choices for topic of conversation considering kids were present about a half a dozen times, which was also some type of record. Rory wasn't sure what she was thinking putting those two next to one another at the table, but if she were completely honest, the end result was quite amusing for everyone present. At one point she was pretty sure she heard Finn ask Paris if she had ever considered dying her hair to a beautiful shade of red; to which Paris went on a tirade on the beauty industry and society's antiquated opinions on beauty.

She looked over and saw Logan and Colin in a lively debate over the latest stock market trends and the Presidential election; both of them were supporters of Trump strictly based on their extreme dislike of Hilary Clinton. "I'm just saying, I really wish that Romney would have made an effort this time around, he could have easily stolen the nomination from Trump and sealed a win this time around." She overheard Colin say, obviously not happy with the way the election was turning out. "And another thing! I will pay you $5000 if Trump actually manages to pull this win off!"

"I'll take that bet!" Logan egged him on, just trying to get a rise out of him. "And I am sure Finny boy here would love to have a piece of that action as well, am I right ol' chap?"

With that, Finn's head popped up and a look of relief was on his face as he realized that someone had ended Paris's most recent rant that he was on the receiving end of. "Absolutely mate! Whatever it is, I will bet you double or nothing" Finn replied with absolutely no idea what he was agreeing to.

"You got it mate!" Colin replied in turn.

"Okay, okay, I think that is enough politics at the table" Rory interjected, trying to steer the conversation onto a more light-hearted topic. "In fact," she began, standing up and giving Logan a questioning look, to which he gave her a slight nod. "I think I will take this time to thank you all for coming to our first of many Thanksgiving dinners. Logan and I would also like to take this time to announce the names we have chosen for our little bundles of joy that we will all be meeting in just under 3 months."

Logan stood up next to her and rested his hands on her very swollen stomach. "We have put a lot of thought into the names…" he began but was quickly interrupted by Finn.

"Are you naming him Finneus? Because I think that is just a swell name." Paris shot him a look and pinched his leg under the table, to which he jumped and banged his knee on the underside of the table then looked at her "Well that wasn't very nice now was it love? Why would you do that?" He looked at her with his classic pouty face, but as usual it had absolutely no effect whatsoever on Paris.

"Because, you are being an obnoxious ass and this is supposed to be a special moment, now would you please be quiet?" She responded in her typical fashion, not really needing to raise her voice, but still conveying how scary she could be.

"This woman is quite scary Love" he said looking to Rory "Where did you find her?"

"We have known each other for 14 years Finn! We went to Yale together. Gah! You really need to not drink so much." Paris was getting frustrated, so in true Paris Gellar fashion, she took his drink and downed it so that he couldn't have anymore. "Please Rory, continue, I will keep this one in check." She finished with a glare to Finn, who quickly closed his mouth and folded his hands in his lap.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Logan continued "we have put a lot of thought into these names and we wanted to share them with all of you. Our little boy will be Richard Elias Huntzberger, Eli for short." He then turned and looked to Rory.

"And our little girl is going to be Emily Olivia Huntzberger, Livy for short." She looked around the table and locked eyes with her grandmother "We just really wanted to carry on some family legacy with their names, and I couldn't imagine any better names for our son and daughter." Her pregnancy hormones kicked in, and what would normally be a touching moment in its own right was causing her to cry and get those tingles through her whole body.

"I think those are beautiful names dear, and your grandfather would be so happy to hear you were naming your first son after him." Emily was the first to speak and was having the same reaction as Rory. Time was passing so quickly since she had lost Richard, life had just kept going on and new milestones were being met without him, and it just simply broke her heart in two. She knew he would have been ecstatic to hear that Rory and Logan had reconciled and were having twins, and he would have been to the moon knowing that they were naming their son after him.

"Thank you Grandma, I miss him so much, but this way we have a reminder of him always with us." Rory wiped the tears from her eyes and Logan put his arm around her shoulders in a comforting gesture.

Logan looked over and locked eyes with his grandfather and saw the tears in the corner of his eyes. "It is an honor for you to name your son after me Logan." Elias told him simply "I hope I have left a legacy he will be proud to be named after."

"You have grandfather, and I have no doubt that he will follow in your footsteps." Logan wasn't used to these types of emotions coming from his family, but it was definitely something he could get used to.

"Well, with that. I declare an end to our first annual Huntzberger Thanksgiving dinner. Please feel free to stay and mingle, but don't be surprised if this one here" Logan nodded his head towards Rory with a smile on his face "disappears for a little while, apparently making two babies is quite the hard work and she requires naps in the mid afternoon." Logan held up his glass for a toast "But finally, let us conclude with a toast. To Family and friends that have become family. I am thankful for each of you and am beyond happy with the way this crazy thing called life has turned out."

"To friends and family" everyone echoed and drank their champagne (or sparkling grape juice).

The rest of the evening was spent with many lively conversations and laughter and one short nap by the hostess, which everyone completely supported and understood. It was coming up on 10:00 and Rory was exhausted. "Okay everyone" she stood up and rested the palms of her hands on her lower back as she stretched a little, pushing her stomach forward "I love you all immensely and the guest rooms are ready for anyone who wants to stay, but I am exhausted and going to bed. Goodnight, I will see you in the morning." She turned to Logan and gave him a peck on the lips "please get a final headcount and leave it in the kitchen for Rita in the morning, so she knows how much to cook for breakfast."

"You got it sweetheart" Logan gave her a quick kiss on the lips "I will be up in a little bit, but do you need anything right now?" he reached up and rubbed her belly, something he just couldn't get enough of.

"No, I am fine hun, I am just really tired. I will see you in the morning. Love you" She patted her hand on top of his hand and turned to head up to bed; happy and tired and just a little bit sad that her mother hadn't bothered to call her back or change her mind about coming.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I know, I know, it has been forever! I am so so so sorry. .. .I am gearing up for a move to the other side of the country and things have been hectic. I wanted to get out what I have written, it is kind of just a teaser chapter, but I am hoping to get the rest written tonight or tomorrow. Also, it was pointed out in some of the reviews that the election had already happened at the time of thanksgiving, and we will just go with. . . . this is fanfiction, in the world of Two Pink Lines, the election had not happened yet ;)**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and as always please review!**

It had been two weeks since Thanksgiving and the next whirlwind activity was in full swing; her wedding. She had her final fitting for her dress today followed by a final run through of the menu and centerpieces for the reception. Her grandmother and Shira had been amazing in getting everything together so fast, but then again she wasn't surprised considering the amount of weight that both names carried in that town. Tomorrow was her big day and she was a bundle of nerves, but over the top excited and happy; she couldn't believe that tomorrow was going to be the day that she would become Mrs. Lorelai Leigh Huntzberger.

They had managed to get the Society Room of Hartford for the wedding; the marble staircase and gorgeous 35ft painted ceilings just took her breathe away the first time she visited the venue. With the venue as it was, and their LDB background, they had decided on a Great Gatsby inspiration for the theme of their wedding. The center pieces were large plumes of white ostrich feathers in tall crystal vases with strings of pearls cascading down. The plates were fine white china with a gold rim and corresponding gold flat wear and each setting was adorned with a crystal and pearl studded picture frame indicating their table number. The table clothes were a mix of beads and lace in deep shades of gold and burgundy. Overall, Rory was extremely happy with the décor and thought it really was coming together perfectly. Her favorite table was the one in the corner with a 1920s style typewriter and small sheets of linen paper for each guest to write a personalized note to the couple; it just fit perfectly not only with her love of reading and writing, but also the fact that this was a Huntzberger wedding.

The wedding itself was going to be at her grandparents' church which was a very old and very beautiful building. She was keeping the decorations very simple and elegant for the church itself, not wanting to detract from the main event. Her bouquet was full of white lilies, pearls, crystals and gold feathers with other smaller white flowers mixed throughout and each of her bridesmaids had a smaller version of her own. Around the base of her bouquet she had a small beaded picture frame with a picture of her grandfather in it so that she could have a piece of him there with her.

Her eyes started to tear up at the thought of the people that wouldn't be at this wedding; first and foremost her grandfather whom she loved and missed so very much and secondly, her mother who still had not RSVP'd or reached out in any way to talk to her about her wedding. She never thought that her mother would be absent on her wedding day, but it looked like that was the way it was heading and there was nothing she could do about it. A tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly, took one last look in the mirror and then headed down the stairs to wait for her grandmother and Shira's arrival so they could finalize all the wedding plans.

)( )(

She stood on the platform in the middle of her bedroom, with mirrors surrounding her as the final alterations were done on her dress. She had gotten it made special for her and she was in love with it. It had been hard to find a style that didn't look tacky with her very obvious and very large pregnant stomach, but the end result was amazing. The dress was very intricate Art Deco-inspired gown with a sheer shoulder that had beadwork in pearls and crystals and an empire waist adorned with a belt of beading and a cluster of beadwork in a geometric pattern at the peak of the waist. Her necklace was pearls and diamonds and very much a statement piece while she had went with a birdcage vail to complete the look with its simple elegance. She was still amazed that they had managed to pull it off in such a short amount of time, but she was glad they had. The seamstress made her final pins and marks on the gown and assured Rory that it would be ready and perfect for her in the morning.

"Oh Rory, you are truly a vision" her Grandmother gushed "They will be talking about this wedding for years to come." She looked over to Shira who was just nodding along.

"Oh yes, definitely. The whole affair is just going to be brilliant. I love the 1920s theme and honestly the cut on that dress flatters your swollen belly just perfectly." Shira looked at Rory one more time and just couldn't believe how perfect the dress was.

"Thank you Grandma, thank you Shira. I am very happy with the way everything is coming together. Logan is really going to be surprised when he sees that vintage Rolls Royce we got for us to leave the ceremony in." The car had been Rory's idea, she felt like the wedding had been so much about her that she really wanted to make sure that he had something special as well. "I just can't wait to see his face!"

)( )(

Logan, Finn and Colin were across town at the same time picking up their new tuxes with top hats and tails. While each of them had half a closet full of similar clothing, Rory had insisted that they needed to buy new ones specifically for the wedding. None of them were ones to try and bring out the bridezilla so the three of them quickly agreed and ordered them immediately. Their final fittings were the day before and the tuxes were now ready to be picked up. With their errands lasting all of about an hour, and having been exiled from the house for a minimum of 5 hours, the three men quickly found a small pub and took advantage of having the day off work.

"So mate, tomorrow is the big day. Are you nervous?" Finn asked with a smirk on his face. "At least if she tries to run away, you know you can catch her with that big ol' stomach of hers and her general distaste for running in general." He laughed and patted Logan on the back and quickly dodged the attempt to hit him upside the head by Colin.

Logan laughed and then smiled "Nah man, I am just happy and excited. I have waited many years for this day to come and for a long time I didn't think it ever would. I know I sound sappy right now, and you can totally punch me for being such a girl, but I just can't wait until tomorrow when I make her my wife."

At the same moment of his speech, the waitress had come over to take their drinks; Finn looked up at her and without missing a beat ordered for the table. "Hello love, can I please get two scotch on the rocks for the men here, and one Shirley Temple for this little girl to my left? Extra cherries please."

The waitress laughed then looked over at Logan who was glaring at his Australian friend. "You got it. Coming right up." With that she turned and went back to the bar, not wanting to be a part of that conversation any longer than she had to be.

Despite his order, the waitress brought back three scotch on the rocks and the three friends spent the next few hours reminiscing about their college days and anticipating what would come in the future. Finn had mentioned Paris several times during the conversation, to the point where Colin and Logan had to enquire number one, how he had remembered her name finally after 14 years, and number two, what was going on between the two of them.

"Well gentlemen, if you must ask, and don't say I didn't warn you. She and I have been screwing like rabbits since Thanksgiving, she is terrifying and exhilarating and I am pretty sure I have Stockholm's Syndrome, but I have no plans of it ending any time soon."

The other two looked at one another with their mouths wide open and were unable to make any type of sound for a solid minute or two. There were absolutely no words for this revelation, and neither of them saw it coming.

"So, you and Paris huh?" Logan finally managed to get out "I didn't see that coming."


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: I'm BACK! Sorry it has been so long, I just did a cross country move with just me and my two kiddos (6 and 3) and then had to get settled into a new house and new job. Things are calming down now though, so I should be able to update more regularly again. I hope you enjoy this chapter! and as always, please review!**

The big day was finally here! It was her wedding day, the happiest day of her life to date. As Rory stood in her dressing room in the basement of the church and took in the scene around her, she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face.

Her hair and makeup were flawless. She wore her hair in a 1920s style with pinned curls and a beautiful birdcage vale. Her eyes were smokey and her lips were a beautiful deep shade of red; she hardly recognized herself in the mirror. Each of her bridesmaids were beautiful in their beaded art deco inspired gowns, their hair pinned in loose rolls with beaded head bands, and their make-up done flawlessly in a 1920s fashion.

Honor came over and sat down next to her and they locked eyes in the mirror and smiled at each other. "So…" Honor put her arm around Rory's shoulders, "today you officially become my sister!" She tilted her head to the side, careful to not disturb her hair or makeup "I am not going to make a speech that will make us cry just before you walk down that aisle, but I will say, I couldn't be happier to call you my sister. I love you Rory and you and Logan are perfect for each other."

Rory smiled at her soon to be sister in law. "Thank you Hon. I am so thankful that I am going to be your sister today as well." Feeling the tears start to well up in her eyes, she quickly tried to lighten the mood. "HOWEVER, do you really want to start it off by ruining my makeup on my wedding day? Move it sister, on to less sentimental things."

The two shared an embrace and then started making the rounds to all the bridesmaids, making sure everything was going as planned. They all looked beautiful and Rory couldn't believe that this day was really here.

She had dreamed of the day she would marry Logan Huntzberger many times in her adult life; she had always known that he was the only one for her. She had been stubborn for many years, first turning down his proposal after graduation because she had naively thought that she needed to make her way in the world alone and quickly realizing that her world without him in it really wasn't all that great; then, that ridiculous Vegas agreement once they ran into each other in Hamburg.

Throughout the years, despite the Vegas agreement, she only really ever felt complete when she was with him. She still got angry at herself sometimes, for wasting all those years with him, lost in her own stubborn attempt at independence, when they could have enjoyed all of their 20s and early 30s together, really together, and as happy as they were right now.

This pregnancy had been a whirlwind and she felt like Dorothy opening her eyes in the land of Oz, finally seeing the world in color and entering into a whole new reality. In a few short hours she would be Lorelai Leigh Huntzberger and in a few weeks she would be the mother to two tiny little souls that have chosen her to be their mother and whom she will be responsible for loving and caring for every single day for the remainder of her life. As much change as she was facing though, she didn't feel overwhelmed, she didn't feel like running in the opposite direction. She felt like running full speed ahead; head on into this wonderful new world. She had no intentions of following the yellow brick road to the Wizard where he would show her how to go back to her old world; she wanted to follow the red brick road, deeper into this colorful new world that she was just getting to know and she wanted Logan right beside her.

)( )(

Logan looked in the mirror and adjusted his tie; he smoothed out his suit and turned around to his oldest and dearest friends. "Well old chaps, today is the day! Today is the day that I marry the love of my life; finally!" He held up his low ball glass of scotch and was met with a 'here! here!' from his friends.

"Well mate, we always knew reporter girl was the one for you, I am just glad you two crazy kids finally stopped being stubborn and are finally doing what you should have done in 2007!" Finn walked over and placed his arm around Logan's shoulders "Also, I shall declare that I shan't be a hold out for the old ball and chain much longer; I dare say I am in love and shall be chasing you down the aisle in just a few months time."

Logan and Colin both choked on their drinks and the room went silent. No one quite knew what to say to the crazy Aussie. Colin managed to compose himself first "Finn, what the bloody hell are you going on about? You two have only been seeing each other a few weeks time! How can you be talking marriage already? Preposterous I dare say, absolute sacrilege!"

"Mate, I have known her 14 years time! I dare say it has been a long time coming." Finn quickly replied.

Logan interjected between his two crazy best friend's verbal sparring match. "OKAY OKAY! As much as I enjoy your crazy antics as much as the next guy, I am going to go all groomzilla on the two of you and remind you that it is MY WEDDING DAY! So! No more engagement announcements or talks of anything other than me and my beautiful bride." Logan huffed and then took a large drink of his scotch.

Finn started walking around the room and looking through all the bags. Tossing paper on the floor and then moving on to the next, then he was down on his hands and knees looking under the couch before Colin finally chimed in "what the bloody hell are you doing now you loon? You didn't lose the rings did you?"

"Nah mate, they are safely in your jacket pocket, I am just looking for Logans balls; he seems to have misplaced them." The three men erupted into laughter and just like that the mood was righted.

)( )(

It was time.

She was standing outside the double doors to the chapel, her dad on her right side holding her arm and looking very dapper in his vintage tuxedo and white bow tie.

"You ready kid?" He asked her in a voice full of emotion "It isn't too late you know, say the word and I will go get the car." He said as he casted her a sideway glance and his trademark smirk.

"Yes dad, I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life. I love him." Tears started to well up in her eyes "Besides, I don't think you could carry me and if I tried to make a run for it, I think he would catch me well before I made it to the getaway car."

"You're probably right kiddo, I am no spring chicken anymore." He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek "But in all seriousness Rory, I am so happy for you and I would not feel right giving you away to anyone else. I have known that he was your other half since the first time I met him at your apartment at Yale. I love you kiddo."

Just then, the organ began playing the bridal chorus, the doors opened and despite being greeted by a completely full church, all she saw was Logan. Their eyes locked and she felt like a magnetic force was pulling her down the aisle to him. Nothing else in the world existed, all she saw were his beautiful hazel eyes and his full smile. She felt like she was floating in a dream and the next thing she knew her dad was placing her hand into Logan's hand and telling the minister that he was giving her hand in marriage.

She stepped forward and turned to Lane, handing her the bouquet, then turned to face Logan. Their hands intertwined and she looked up into his eyes and got lost in their deep pools of tender affection.

"We are here Ace" he whispered "we are finally here, I am going to make you my wife; I love you so much"

Her smile that she didn't think could get any bigger, grew in size and she leaned in slightly "Here we are indeed MAC, I love you so much, can you believe we are really here?"

The two were brought out of their world when the minister began the wedding vows.

"Logan Elias Huntzberger, wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife to live together after God's ordinance in the Holy Estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her? Comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all other keep thee only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

Logan, with tears in his eyes looked deeply into the radiant blue eyes of the woman standing before him and with more emotion than he had ever felt in his entire life responded, "In the name of God, I, Logan Elias Huntzberger, take you, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, wilt thou have this man to be thy wedded husband to live together after God's ordinance in the Holy Estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love him? Comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all other keep thee only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

Unable to hold back the tears, as waves of emotion overcame her, she quietly but firmly responded "In the name of God, I, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, take you, Logan Elias Huntzberger, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and helth, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

"By the power vested in me, by the state of Connecticut, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."

The minister no sooner had the words out of his mouth before Logan's lips crashed down on hers and the two shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

"May I present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Logan Huntzberger."

The wedding march in c minor began to play, Rory got her bouquet from Lane and proceeded down the aisle, hand in hand with her husband.

The two of them greeted and thanked all the guests as they left the church. Finally as the last guest walked outside the couple held hands and prepared for their grand exit. Rory was excited to see the look on Logan's face when he saw the vintage Rolls Royce she had gotten for them.

"You ready Mrs. Huntzberger?" He asked, his smile growing by the second.

"I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life." She replied and kissed him firmly on the lips.

The church doors opened and the newlyweds walked out to the loud applause of their hundreds of guests, the bird seed and rose petals were thrown and dozens of doves were released as the two made their way down the steps. It was a picture perfect moment and the photographer was able to get many amazing shots of the two of them lost in their own world, smiles on their faces and their love emanating from them was almost palpable.

Logan saw the Rolls Royce and turned to his bride "Really Ace? Really? You are the best wife ever!" He opened the passenger side door and helped her into her seat, making sure she was comfortable before jogging around to the other side and getting behind the wheel.

"We did it Ace, we really did it!" He said as he turned to her and kissed her face again. "You're my wife!"

She smiled at him and kissed him back "We did it MAC, we really did. Now you're stuck with me mister. No turning back now."

The happy couple were followed by a string of vintage cars, each bridesmaid/groomsmen had their own as well as Chris, Shira and Mitchum in a final Rolls Royce Town Car. They went to several beautiful spots for their photos and after what felt like a thousand different shots, the official party made their way to the reception where a cocktail hour had already begun.

When they were announced and walked into the Society Room, it completely took their breath away. While she had been there the day before to make final decisions on placement of the decorations, this was the first time she was seeing it completely done. It was like they had taken the vision she had in her head and brought it to life. It was absolutely perfect.

The night flew by; dinner was served, drinks were consumed, speeches were made and laughter abounded. The happy couple shared their first dance to "It Had To Be You" by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn.

 _Why do I do just as you say,_

 _Why must I just give you your way?_

 _Why do I sigh,_

 _Why don't I try to forget?_

 _It must have been that something_

 _Lovers call fate,_

 _Kept on saying_

 _I had to wait._

 _I saw them all,_

 _Just couldn't fall_

 _'Til we met._

Rory and Logan made their way across the dance floor listening to the words. It was the perfect song for them. It described their journey so completely. He had never loved anyone before he met her and had never loved anyone since. He looked deep into her eyes. "It had to be you Ace, I waited my whole life for this moment" he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, still feeling so surreal that he was dancing his first dance as husband and wife with his Ace.

 _It had to be you,_

 _It had to be you._

 _I wandered around_

 _And finally found_

 _The somebody who_

 _Could make me be true_

 _-Could make me feel blue-_

 _And even be glad,_

 _Just to be sad_

 _Thinking of you._

Rory looked up into her husband's eyes as she drank in the lyrics of the song. She had definitely wandered. She was so lost when she met Logan. Scared to be real, scared to take a chance; she had tried to cling tight to what she knew, tried to force things with Dean long after they were done. He woke her up, he made her feel more than anyone else ever had. She had definitely had her moments of wandering until she made it back to him, and would think back on their time together with fond sadness; happy for the memories but sad that they were in the past. Yet here she was, dancing with him as his wife, pregnant with their twins. She finally felt like she was one hundred percent being true to who she is. "I love you so much. I have wandered for years before I made my way back to you, I feel like I have finally found my home, and that is with you." She leaned up and kissed him gently and lovingly while his hand came up from her waist and cupped her face.

 _Some others I've seen_

 _Might never be mean,_

 _Might never be cross,_

 _Or try to be boss-_

 _But they wouldn't do._

 _For nobody else_

 _Gave me a thrill:_

 _With all your faults,_

 _I love you still._

 _It had to be you,_

 _Wonderful you,_

 _It had to be you._

The two locked eyes and so many emotions passed between them. They communicated more with their eyes than words could ever express.

"You ready for this Ace?" Logan asked.

"You jump, I jump Jack." She smiled and the two finished out their dance in their own world, hearing only the music and each other's heartbeats.

)( )(

The music faded out and it was time for the Father-Daughter dance. The band started playing the soft jazz tune of Louis Armstrong's 'When You're Smiling'. Rory and Christopher slowly started making their way across the dance floor and he couldn't help but think that the last time he had danced with his daughter was at her Coming Out over 16 years ago. He couldn't believe that so much time had gone by so quickly and his heart hurt to think about all the years that he had missed out on in her life; he knew he couldn't get those years back, but he had a second chance with his grandchildren. He planned on being the best Papa he could possibly be, and he planned on being there every moment that Rory needed him.

"You did it kiddo." He smiled down at her "you found your happily ever after."

"I did, didn't I dad?" Rory smiled up at him "I never knew such happiness existed, but I also can't imagine my life without it; my heart just feels so full."

"I'm sorry I wasn't always there for you when you needed me Ror. I am sorry that I let your mom do it all alone; I was so young and stupid. I am glad you won't have to experience what your mom did. I am glad you made the decision to let Logan into your life and give him the opportunity to be the dad I wish I would have been to you." The tears started welling up in his eyes and he was doing everything he could to stop them from falling.

"Oh Daddy, don't be sad. You did the best you could. I couldn't imagine becoming a parent at 16. I am 33 and I am scared out of my mind; I can only imagine how terrifying it was for you." She reached up and kissed her dad on the cheek "Besides, you are here now, and that is what really matters. The past is the past, we don't live there anymore, all we can do is move forward. I love you, and I wouldn't want any other dad, you're my guy." The soft brassy sound of the music continued in the background as the two of them just enjoyed the moment.

)( )(

Rory sat in her seat at the head table and yawned a big yawn. She was exhausted. Logan came over and sat next to her, pulling her feet into his lap and began rubbing her tired and swollen feet. She had opted for heels for the ceremony itself, but had quickly switched to more practical flats once they got to the reception hall, but her feet were still killing her.

"You about ready to go Ace? You look like you could fall asleep any minute."

Rory looked at him sleepily "I am so happy, but so tired. Yes, can we please head out?"

Logan looked down at his pocket watch "Well it is quarter past 11; well beyond your bed time. I am proud of you babe! You made it much longer than I thought you would."

Rory attempted to smack his arm but she just didn't have the energy to really put any force behind it. "Mean." She pouted.

Logan chuckled and then helped her up. "Okay, come on sleeping beauty, let's go bid ado to our guests."

The two of them made their rounds of the room, thanking everyone for coming. Paris assured her that she would take care of everything at the Society room, including making sure all the gifts and cards were delivered to their home tomorrow morning. Logan went and brought the car around and then helped his very tired and very pregnant wife into the car.

Rory was asleep before they made it out of the parking lot and was woken up when they pulled to a stop in front of their home. Logan quickly got out and came around to help her out of the car and the two walked hand in hand up to the front door. Rory started to open the door and walk in when Logan stopped her.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What do you think you're doing Mrs. Huntzberger? I have to carry you across the threshold, it is tradition."

Rory looked at him and raised her eyebrow "You sure you're up to the task?" she asked, while waving her arm around her very large stomach.

"Ye of so little faith, of course I am!" He quickly swept her off of her feet and carried her through the door with ease. The two of them shared a tender kiss and she melted into his arms. "Welcome home Mrs. Huntzberger." He whispered into her ear before kissing her deeply.

 **AN: I just want to say that I purposefully didn't mention Lorelai in this chapter. I wanted Rory's special day to be magical and happy, I didn't want to bring down the tone of this chapter with talk of Lorelai. BUT! Don't worry, those feelings WILL be hashed out in the next few chapters.**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: I know this is really short, but I wanted to get out Lorelai's pov**

 **Working on more already, but wanted to get this part out. As always enjoy! and please Read and Review!**

Chapter 25

Lorelai was sitting on one of the oversized chairs in the lobby of the Dragonfly Inn staring at the newspaper in front of her. The headline "Lorelai "Rory" Gilmore becomes the bride of Logan Huntzberger" was displayed across the top of the society pages in pretty much every major newspaper and had even made it to the front page of a few mainstream magazines. Below the headline were varying pictures depending on the publication; but the one she was looking at was of the two of them coming out of the church. The smiles on both of their faces cut straight to her heart and she had to wipe the tears away as they were falling down her face. It appeared to be a perfect moment suspended in time; the birdseed and petals frozen mid air, doves with their wings spread wide and flying toward the sky; Rory had one hand entwined with Logan's and the other holding her flowers high above her head while the two of them were lip-locked, Logan's other hand coming up to cup her face. She looked in the background and saw the smiles of all of the bridal party as they took in the happy couple.

She hardly recognized Lane, her hair was done so beautifully and her makeup flawless, the dress probably cost more than she normally would make in a month; she couldn't believe that it had been 26 years since she and Rory had met in Kindergarten and become the best of friends, the kind of friend that apparently was going to last a lifetime.

As she looked at the other smiling faces, she saw Paris who was holding hands with a dark haired man who she recognized as one of Logan's friends who she had run into when bailing Rory out of jail after the yacht incident; she looked happier and more carefree than she had ever seen her look in all the years she had known her. She didn't recognize the other two blonde girls but she was sure that one of them must be Logan's sister; they both looked natural in such extravagant attire, they had to come from old money.

She studied it closer and saw the smiling faces of her mother, Christopher, Shira and Mitchum. Everyone was looking at the couple with a smile that reached every single one of their eyes; there were no fake or forced or obligatory society smiles that she would have expected to see from the family that had once told Rory that she wasn't good enough for them and that she wouldn't ever fit into the Huntzberger family.

A pang of jealousy shot through her soul, she felt it in the tips of her fingers and the bottom of her toes; she couldn't believe she had missed it. She missed her only child's wedding; and as if that didn't hurt her enough, it didn't look like it had fazed a single one of them.

She had received the invitation in the mail right after their dinner before Thanksgiving; she had probably pulled it out and stared at it, unable to make a decision, a hundred times in the weeks leading up to the wedding. The invitation just didn't look like Rory; it had been lined with real pearls for crying out loud, and if that didn't scream Emily Gilmore she wasn't sure what would. There had been no personalization to it, no note from Rory asking her to come, just the insert for the RSVP asking if she wanted to chicken, vegetarian, or beef for her dinner option, listing the dress code as 1920s formal, and a spot to indicate if she was bringing a plus one.

Luke had tried to bring it up once, telling her to swallow her pride and RSVP and reminding her of Rory's 21st birthday party debacle; but, it had just ended with the two of them in a fight with him frustrated and her angry because he wasn't on her side. He had told her how much it would mean to him to be able to see Rory, who had been like a daughter to him for pretty much her entire life, get married but if she wasn't going to go, he wasn't going to go without her. After he said his piece, he didn't bring it up again.

She struggled with it daily and at one point had even checked the box for one chicken and one beef dish and RSVPd with her plus one and put the card in the pre-stamped and addressed envelope; but she never made it to the mailbox, wasn't able to take that step of sending it off. She didn't agree with the marriage, she didn't think it was a good step for her daughter, and she didn't want to ruin her day by accidently getting the verbal diarrhea, which she was prone to get when she was uncomfortable, or by being unable to mask her disdain for the situation. So, in the end, she chose not to go and as she sat and looked at the newspaper, she knew that it was the absolute worst decision she had ever made in her life.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Okay, I know it is another short one. . . .I just couldn't get my groove going on it. . . . .I am working on what comes next but I am kind of stumped about what direction I want the next chapter to go. If you have any suggestions, PLEASE IM me. It took me forever to get this chapter done, my muse just wasn't there. . . . I am trying to chug away on the next chapter, but it may be a few days!**

Chapter 26

Rory was sitting in the study going through the wedding proofs; there were so many great shots and was trying to choose which ones she wanted in what size. She had already decided on a wedding book that had pretty much every single edited picture the photographer gave her to look through; but the ones that would actually be framed and would adorn the walls of her home and her family's (to include the Huntzbergers now) homes was such a hard decision!

She stopped at a picture of the reception with Finn raising his glass in the air, his face adorned with his usual 'up to no good smirk' and Paris's eyes shooting daggers at him while she still had a smile on her face, and she thought back to his glorious best man speech.

 _"Ladies and Gentleman, excuse me" Finn stood up and started to clink his butter knife on his champagne flute "Can I have your attention please, yes that's right all of you lovely people who have joined us here today; oh hello love, I love your red hair, how have I not seen you yet…." His head snapped to the side as Paris made it a point to clear her throat very loudly, he sheepishly looked at her "Just kidding love, I am a one woman man these days, and she is terrifying, she would destroy you…" he heard another throat clearing, this time from Rory. "Ah yes, anyway where was I. Ahhh yes, my toast to my best mate and his reporter girl. Now, it took me a lot of convincing to get Rory and Logan to let me give a toast tonight, but being one of his oldest friends and having been there on the day that the two of them met for the very first time, I could not miss this moment to let all of you know how absolutely amazing and perfect the two of them are for one another. They have had a long road full of ups and downs, and when it first started, well to be honest we thought she hated him. He was able to wear her down though, and for the first time ever, Logan Huntzberger became a one woman man, she had him hooked. I have enjoyed seeing the changes over the years, the adventures that we have all experienced together all over the world and I am so happy the two of them found their way back to one another, right where they belong. I have no doubt the two of you will be blissfully happy for the remainder of your days, and I can't wait to meet my neice and nephew and teach them all the secrets of the trade, to see them go to Yale one day and carry on all our traditions, even though I am sure Rory wants me to do nothing of the sort, I am exotic and I have my way of convincing her to do things." Another throat cleared, this time it came from Logan. "Ah, yes but I digress. Anyhow, I shall conclude my fine Best Man speech with a reminder to always live every day as if it were your last, to never go to bed angry with one another, to always end your phone calls with I love you, and remember Im Omnia Paratus!"_

 _All the members of the LDB, past and present, resounded with a firm Im Omnia Paratus! It surprised Rory when she saw her grandmother mouthing the words and raising her glass and the two of them shared a knowing look. Rory had never even suspected that her grandparents had been members, but it made sense when she really thought about it._

 _"To Rory and Logan!" He finished as he held up his glass high, then took a rather surprisingly normal size drink and re-took his seat next to Logan._

Rory shook her head and laughed to herself as she thought about his interesting speech. If she were being honest, it was nothing like the toast she thought he would give, but it was perfectly Finn.

She still couldn't believe that Finn and Paris were an official couple, she had not seen that coming at all; but, when Paris called her right after Thanksgiving and told her that she and Finn had slept together and she thought that it was going to become a regular thing, Rory just went with it. The two were an oddly perfect pair, they were definitely both certifiable, but they also balanced each other out. Finn made Paris take things less seriously, and she occasionally got Finn to behave like a man in his 30s. She was definitely interested to see where this relationship was going.

She continued to look through the photos and she stopped at the one of her and her dad and GiGi. It was a posed shot that was taken in between the ceremony and the reception; the three of them were standing in front of a brick wall, the two girls on either side of their dad. The smiles were so big and genuine and she knew that she was going to frame it, it was too perfect not to.

Next she saw the picture of her and her grandmother, it was a candid shot during the ceremony with Rory and Logan in the background holding hands and slightly blurred with Emily in the foreground. The look of love on her face as she stared at the two exchanging vows hit Rory really hard. It was such a beautiful moment in time, and the emotion in her glistening eyes could not be faked. It really made Rory stop and think about how lucky she was to have her grandmother in here life the way she was now and it made her feel guilty for the way she had treated her when she was younger, especially during the tail end of the dark days of Yale. She had really taken for granted everything that her grandparents had done for her over the years; but now that she was older and becoming a mother herself, she was starting to understand how much hurt her grandmother had felt at the hands of her and her mother.

And there it was, the final connection to the one person that she had been doing everything she could NOT to think about; her mother. Rory still could not believe that her mom did not come to the wedding and her heart was breaking. She knew that her mom didn't agree with her decisions, she never did when they differed from her own views of what Rory's life should look like, but she really didn't think that her mom would actually miss her wedding. She had checked every day for the RSVP from her and Luke to come in the mail, and every day her heart broke a little bit more when it didn't come.

She had lost count of the number of times she picked up the phone to call her, see if she was coming, if the RSVP had gotten lost in the mail, if she hadn't sent one because as the mother of the bride it was a given that she would be there, all the different reasons why an RSVP had not arrived that she could think of; but she never actually pressed the button, never actually called her, because she was too scared to have the conversation she knew she would have; the conversation where her mother tells her that she isn't coming to her wedding. So instead, she took the typical Gilmore girl route, and just avoided the situation all together.

She had held out hope that she would come, that she would show up that morning in the dressing room, dress in hand ready to help Rory get ready for her big day; give her some speech about how sorry she was that she had put her own feelings ahead of Rory's and how while she didn't understand the decisions that Rory was making, she supported her because she is her daughter and that is what moms do. They would hug it out, Rory would tell her she understood her reservations but they were unwarranted and that with time she would see how great Logan was for her, and how happy she is. But none of that happened. Every time the door opened she had perked up, hoping it was her, but it never was, and every time her heart broke a little more.

Rory was not sure if she would be able to forgive her mom for missing her wedding, the most important day in her life so far, because of her pride and her disdain for the choices that Rory had made. She understood that Lorelai didn't agree with her decision to not work, and that she never wanted Rory to be in the society world; but, at some point she was going to have to realize that this was where Rory wanted to be, that she felt comfortable here despite the fact that Lorelai never had.

She hated that it was like this between the two of them, and she really wished it were different; but this was the way it was going to be from here forward. A line had been drawn in the sand. Her mom cared more about her own feelings than she did Rory's, and she wasn't really sure where to go from here.

She wiped away the tears and reached down to lay her hand on her stomach; vowing to herself and her two babies growing inside her that she would do everything in her power to never do that to her own children.


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: I know! I know! It has been a LONG time since I updated. My muse has just been playing hide and seek with me and it has been hard for me to get going again THEN I had quite a bit written and somehow my daughter managed to delete it :( BUT here is an update. I hope you enjoy! And I will try and get some more out this weekend!**

Chapter 27

Rory was exhausted. She was currently 32 weeks pregnant with twins and on the tail end of planning their Christmas party. She knew she could hire someone to do it and take the stress off of her, but this was their first Christmas as a married couple and she wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

The guest list for their Christmas party was much larger than the one for Thanksgiving; this one included all the top executives at HPG as well as the key members of the DAR and anyone else that her grandmother and Shira deemed necessary. They were limiting the guest list to 150 people, so it was very elite and everyone was trying to score an invitation. She had not had so many people suck up to her in her entire life, but Shira and her grandmother were controlling the guest list, so really it was completely futile. The only names she had insisted were included were Colin, Finn, Stephanie and Paris; beyond that she was just observing and learning.

She had learned quite a bit in her 20s when she worked for the DAR and had organized functions; but this was a whole new level. She knew that it was something she had not had an appreciation for when she was younger and had been thoroughly amused by her mother's constant mockery; but now, now it mattered because she had taken that leap into society. She was a Huntzberger now and she had embraced everything that came with it; and surprisingly, she loved it.

It was really quite liberating to no longer have one foot in and one foot out; worried about making a decision either way because no matter what she chose, someone was going to be disappointed with her. Now though, now she had made the decision and could care less about her mother's disappointment. The day that her mother didn't show up to her wedding, Rory had written her off; it was the final straw, and she just didn't have the energy to deal with it anymore.

She picked up her phone and called Shira to discuss some of the final plans. The phone rang 3 times before she answered. "Hey mom! I was just calling to go over some of the final party plans." It felt weird calling Shira mom, but she had insisted after the wedding and it was starting to feel less weird.

"Rory, darling, how are you? How are my precious grandbabies? I would love to go over the final plans, do you want to meet for lunch this afternoon at the club?" Shira had really taken to the role of grandmother-to-be as well as mother-in-law to Rory. It was like they had started fresh and she was really thankful that things had taken a turn in their lives. She saw how happy Rory and Logan were together, and as hard as it had been to put aside her previous feelings, she had taken the "fake it till you make it" mentality and to her surprise, she hadn't had to fake it for very long.

Rory looked at the clock that said 10:00 and then in the mirror at her makeup-less face, with hair in a messy bun and yoga pants. She knew she had to get moving if she was going to make lunch at noon. "Your grandbabies are just as great as ever." Rory laughed and put her hand on her very large stomach, feeling the babies moving around. "Your grandson loves using my bladder as a pillow, and your granddaughter is currently sticking her butt up underneath my ribs and punching a kidney. " She paused and sighed; Shira quickly commiserated with her and told her about how Logan had done the same thing when she was pregnant with him and they both laughed. "Well Mom, I can make a 12:00 lunch, but in order to make that I really need to get off of here and get moving." Rory let out an audible sigh as she thought about all the energy that was going to be required in order for her to get ready and to the club on time.

"Okay dear, sounds good. I will make the reservation and meet you there. Be safe!" Shira responded warmly. She remembered the days of being as pregnant was Rory was, and she only had one baby, and how much energy it took to get anything done, so she made a mental note to make the reservation for 12:15.

Rory made her way upstairs to start getting ready, if she was going to be to the club on time; she was pretty sure that it would be frowned upon for her to show up in yoga pants and a t-shirt; not even the Huntzberger name would get her past THAT violation.

Rory pulled up to the club around 12:20 and handed the valet her keys, she was running behind and had to pee again for the 10th time that hour. After her detour into the ladies room she made her way to the dining rom to meet Shira. When she walked in she saw her sitting in the back near the window looking out at the golf course, a plate of watermelon (her most recent pregnancy craving) and a glass of ice water with Lemon sitting in front of the empty seat across from her.

"Sorry, I am late." Rory said as she made her way over to the table "everything just takes so much longer now, and it doesn't help that I feel like I am using the restroom every 10 minutes or so" Rory sat down and looked gratefully at the plate of watermelon "and thank you so much for this, you know how much the babies love it." She cut a piece off and took a bite, a small sigh of pleasure escaping her lips.

"Don't worry about it, I actually made the reservation for 12:15 assuming that you would be running a bit behind." Shira raised her hand, beckoning the waiter over. "Besides, with the amount of money we give this place, they can hold a reservation for my daughter who is pregnant with twins."

The waiter came and took their orders and brought Rory another plate of watermelon while she waited. The two ladies discussed all the final plans for the party including the timeline for the caterers, florist, furniture rental company, and order that the food would come out.

Rory felt a pang of sadness for a moment, she didn't allow herself to think about her mother very often, it just hurt too much and her pregnancy hormones took over leaving her a blubbering mess most of the time, but it just felt surreal that she was sitting at the country club with Shira Huntzberger, planning her first Christmas party as a member of the Huntzberger family. She had always imagined her first Christmas as a family being in Stars Hollow; some big affair with tater tots and pizza rolls mixed in with Sookie's amazing cooking. She and her mom would have planned it together and it would include the entire cast of characters from their crazy town. For as long as she could remember, Logan had been obsessed with Taylor and his quirky shenanigans, so he would have been more than willing to do a big Stars Hollow event; the crazier the better.

But that wasn't her reality anymore; her mother was not a daily fixture in her life; she was not making plans with her, not about Christmas, not about the babies, nothing. Her mother had hurt her more than words could express when she did not show up to her wedding; a hurt that she was not sure she would ever get past.

Rory and Shira finished up their lunch and parted ways; Rory was exhausted and decided to head home for an afternoon nap before Logan got home from work. She pulled into her garage and slowly made her way inside, she completely lacked the ability to do anything quickly these days, and upstairs to her bed. She set an alarm for 5:00 in case she didn't wake up before then, arranged her fortress of pillows supporting various parts of her body and fell asleep halfway sitting up so that she didn't get heartburn. Her last conscious thought being that she couldn't wait until her body was her own again and a nap didn't require so much effort.

)( )(

Logan wasn't sure what he was doing; he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as he passed a sign telling him that he was 10 miles from Stars Hollow. He hadn't planned on going to Stars Hollow this morning when he woke up, but when he got a text from Rory after her lunch with his mom, upset once again because she was reminded of the rift between her and Lorelai, he just snapped and made the rash decision to go and confront her.

Now that he was almost there, he had absolutely no idea what he was going to say; but he knew something needed to be said. It killed him to see how sad Rory was almost immediately after every happy moment; sad because she would instinctively go to call her mom and then remember that they no longer had that relationship. She tried to put on a brave face, and occasionally he let her think she was fooling him; but in all actuality, he knew her better than he knew anyone else in the world and one look at her face would tell him everything she was thinking and feeling. Now add in the pregnancy hormones and it made it even harder for her to keep her emotions in check. The other night he came home to her watch Grand Torino with Clint Eastwood and bawling; insisting that it was the saddest movie she had ever seen in her life, the way his family just abandoned him had torn at her heartstrings and she was a mess. Logan had done what he could to comfort her and eventually she calmed down; after that, she shut herself in the office for several hours as she worked on her book.

She and her editor were in pretty constant contact and she was on track to finish the book before the babies arrived. She was pushing herself a little harder than he liked, but the writing seemed very therapeutic for her. It had evolved and transformed into a completely different book than she had originally envisioned, but all of the chapters she let him read were absolutely riveting and he had no doubt that the direction she was going would bring her great success. He was so proud of her, proud of the growth he saw within her as she wrote the story of her life.

Logan pulled up to the Dragonfly Inn and took a deep breath before getting out of the car. As he stood up and exhaled, his breath formed a small cloud in the air and began drifting and dissipating as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. It was a beautiful winter day in Connecticut, a fresh snow had fallen earlier in the day and it glistened across the grounds of the hotel, still untouched by guests. Logan recalled Rory telling him once how her mother thought that snow was magical, how a snowfall brings change and magic with it and he hoped that there was some truth in that. Maybe this snowfall would bring the magic required to start healing the rift between Rory and Lorelai.

)( )(

Lorelai was standing behind the check in desk when she saw Logan walk in; at first she thought she was seeing things, after all why in the world would Logan Huntzberger be at the Dragon Fly Inn, but then he locked eyes with her and walked over to where she was standing.

"Good afternoon Lorelai, is there someplace we can talk?" Logan cut right to the chase, no false pleasantries, no small talk, just straight to the point. He didn't have the energy or the patience to pretend to be happy to see her or that they were on good terms. He was here for Rory, that was what was pushing him through what he knew was going to be a very uncomfortable conversation.

"Ummm, yeah sure" Lorelai responded nervously, instantly every possible terrible scenario passed through her mind, had something happened to Rory? To the Babies? Was he here to tell her that he and Rory were moving away? All these thoughts tumbled around inside her head, but externally she tried to control her demeanor, appear calm and in control. "We can go in the dining room, we are in between lunch and dinner right now so we can talk in there." She began walking and Logan followed her into the dining room and sat down in one of the green chairs. "Can I get you something do drink?" She asked, at least attempting to show some hospitality "you know we always have coffee going here."

"I'm okay." Logan responded with a cool air to his voice "I have a water in the car and I don't plan to stay long." He looked up at Lorelai and shook his head slightly. "I just came to tell you that you are hurting her. Every single day you hurt her. Your silence, your lack of caring, your inability to put your own opinion on how you think she should be living her life aside and just being there for her and loving her; it is hurting her. She cries all the time. She can't enjoy anything happy or good in her life because any time she is happy, she wants to talk to you about it and then she realizes that she can't, and it crushes her all over again." Lorelai tried to interject but Logan just held up his hand. "No, you don't get to talk right now; I am talking. I am telling you that you are hurting her and you need to stop. You missed your only child's wedding! You know she spent the whole day staring at the door waiting for you to walk through it? My mother had to console her on her wedding day and do all the things that you were supposed to be there to do for her. What was supposed to be the happiest day of her life will always have a shadow on it; and that shadow is you."

Lorelai tried to interject again, but once again Logan stopped her. "I don't want to hear your side Lorelai, I don't want to hear your excuses. I am just here to tell you that you are at a crossroad and you have a really big decision to make. You can either put your opinions on society aside and be there for your daughter; or you can have the relationship you and Emily had with Rory. We are having a Christmas party at our house this Saturday. It starts at 7:30 and it is a black tie event. You are invited and I want you to think long and hard about this decision because you have been her best friend her entire life and she needs you; she is only a few weeks away from giving birth to your two grandchildren, you already missed most of the pregnancy, you need to decide if you want to miss their birth and their childhood as well." With that, Logan turned around and walked out of the Inn; not even giving her time to respond.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I know it has been a while! Sorry! Life has been busy. I really missed this story though and am hoping to dedicate more time to writing it. When I uploaded this chapter it had some really glitchy stuff going on once it got to the page. I have tried re-uploading several times and in the preview it is not showing all that extra html stuff. Hopefully it catches up with itself and the new one posts without all the glitches. I will check in the morning and if it hasn't, I will try deleting and uploading again!**

 **Anyways, happy reading :) and please review**

Lorelai sat there stunned as she watched Logan walk out the door. He left just as quickly as he arrived and the silence in the dining room after his departure was heavy. She thought about the things he had said to her, how she is hurting Rory, and she wanted to be angry. She wanted to proclaim that she was in the right, that she was justified in her behavior and her feelings; but, she just couldn't. She couldn't keep holding on to the anger, couldn't just compare it to the fallout in college and assume that eventually Rory would come around to her point of view. Logan's blunt words did what he had intended them to do, they were a cold glass of water to the face, and the reality of her situation was really sinking in.

She walked out of the dining room and into the main lobby where she had her cell phone behind the desk. She picked it up and pulled up the contact that she had pulled up a thousand times in the last several months but had never had the resolve to hit send. She took a deep breath and pressed the little phone icon and waited for the call to connect. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but she knew it had to be now or she would lose her nerve. She would start making excuses and convincing herself that she was doing nothing wrong; that her feelings are justified, and she is not the villain but is instead the victim. Another tragic result of consorting with the society she ran away from when she was sixteen years old.

The phone rang once and then went straight to voicemail. She heard her daughter's voice and it seemed so surreal 'Hello, you have reached the voicemail of Rory Huntzberger, I am so sorry I missed your call but please leave me a message and I will call you back. Thank you and have a blessed day'. Lorelai wasn't sure what to do, should she leave a message? Should she just hang up? These thoughts raced through her head and then she heard the beep. She took another deep breath and then just spoke. "Hey Rory, it's me, your mom. I umm I just wanted to call and say, umm I don't know what I want to say. Umm Yeah, so I messed up kid, I messed up really bad. I am sorry. Please umm please just call me okay?" Lorelai hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should say more, but couldn't think of anything else to say, especially over voicemail. She pushed the little red circle and ended the call, then walked slowly to the bathroom where she could have a moment of privacy to shed the tears welling up in her eyes.

Rory woke up to the sound of her alarm announcing to her that it was 5:00 and it was time to get up and get ready for dinner before Logan got home from work. Thankfully, that just included waking up and making herself comfortable downstairs in the living room snuggled up with a good book and a cup of decaf coffee. Their cook took care of all the meals and all she really had to do was approve the menu once a week. Recently she had been making more last-minute changes based solely on pregnancy cravings. Steak had become a regular occurrence as well as watermelon and strawberries and chicken had been cast out permanently. Just the smell was enough to send her running to the bathroom.

She groggily looked at her phone; she had just switched to a new phone and she was still getting used to the alarm and how to turn it off. She squinted with one eye and tapped on the little alarm clock ringing and drug it to the right to turn off the alarm. Thankfully, she had made sure to learn how to put the phone in do not disturb mode as soon as she got it; it was the worst to get woken up from one of her much-needed daily naps by one of the many text messages and phone calls she received throughout the day. The flip side of that was that typically when she woke up she had at least 5 missed calls and 20-30 text messages that she had to sort through and respond to.

She looked at her phone and her heart skipped a beat; she had a missed call from her mom. Her whole body flashed with heat and her heart started racing. The amount of anxiety she felt at seeing that name on the screen was completely overwhelming. Then she saw that she had left a voicemail, which meant that it was not an accidental call. She double tapped on the voicemail notification and she heard her mom's voice. She had to listen to the message five times before her brain really started processing it. Not only had her mom called, but she had apologized.

She wasn't sure how to feel. On the one hand, she was elated that her mom had called. As angry as she was with her, she still missed her. Her mom had always been her best friend. On the other hand, she was angry. Did her mom really think that just calling and apologizing would wipe away the past several months?

Her internal battle continued as she made her way downstairs. Logan should be home soon and she would be able to talk through her feelings and emotions with him. Sometimes it seemed like he knew her better than she knew herself and she was positive that he would be able to help her through the muddied emotions surrounding her relationship with her mother.

Rory sat curled up on the sofa in the family; the TV was on but it was really just background noise. She was completely inside her head, reflecting on the voicemail her mom left her. She was anxious for Logan to get home so she had someone to talk to about it. While Logan was always ultimately on her side, he was also good at telling her the hard truths and the things she may not necessarily want to hear, but definitely needed to hear. She knew he would be able to help her get her mind sorted and make a decision on what she should do.

As if on cue, Logan walked into the living room. He took a moment to admire how beautiful Rory was sitting on the couch, her full stomach that she carried so well. It wasn't easy to pull off carrying twins, but Rory did it amazingly. "Good evening Ace, how was your day? Did you get your nap?" he asked her as he walked over to sit next to her on the couch.

"I did. It was much needed. I just don't have much energy these days, or maybe I have the same amount but I expend twice as much as I did before." She laughed and pushed her jaw out, indicating that she wanted a kiss but didn't want to move. Logan gladly obliged and leaned down to kiss her gently, his hand automatically moving to her stomach and giving it a tender rub. He was quickly greeted by a kick and then what felt like a roll before he got another kick. It amazed him that his babies were in there, interacting with him, that they knew his voice and touch.

Rory smiled and reached down, putting her hand next to his and was greeted with the same enthusiastic kick and roll. "So…" she began, not knowing how to start the conversation other than a simple rip the band-aid off type of approach. "My mom called me this afternoon while I was taking a nap. She left a voicemail apologizing and asking me to call her back…I don't know how I feel or what I want to do." She looked at him with angst filled eyes, begging him without words to tell her what to do.

"Really?" He asked, surprised that his visit had actually possibly worked. He also knew that he absolutely could not under any circumstances keep his visit to Lorelai a secret from Rory. "I may have had a little something to do with that…" he paused and looked over at Rory, the questioning look on her face made him continue quickly before he lost his nerve. "…I just felt like I needed to do something. You have been so sad and have missed her so much. And I know you try and act like you don't, but you do Rory, you miss her. And I just couldn't stand by for one more day without at least trying to help make things right. So I drove out there today and I told your mom that enough was enough, that she is hurting you and that she needs to make it right. I wasn't sure how she would respond, and I am honestly shocked that it actually worked and she called you. But Rory, she is your mom! And as bad as things have been the last few months, she was also always your best friend. And I am sorry if I crossed a line or made you mad…." He was cut off by Rory crushing her lips to his, her hands on either side of his face pulling him towards her. Okay. So she definitely wasn't mad. That's a good sign.

Rory sat there and listened to the man she loved more than anyone else in the world ramble on in what could rival one of her Gilmore girl rants, and her heart just started swelling with happiness. This man truly was her person; she couldn't let him go on for another second without kissing him, so she stopped him mid-sentence with a kiss. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, tears welling up in her own. "I love you Logan Huntzberger. Thank you."

Logan just smiled and kissed her again, this time just a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you too Rory Huntzberger. I will always do everything in my power to make you happy."

The two sat there in silence for a few minutes, each caught up in their own thoughts until Logan broke the silence. "So, are you going to call her back?" He turned and looked into her eyes, the look in them confirming what he knew the answer would be.

Rory took a deep breath and picked up the phone. She pulled up the contact that hadn't been used in a long time and clicked the little telephone. It rang twice before her mom answered. "Hey mom." She said unsure of what to say next. "I got your message. Would you like to come to the house for dinner tomorrow? We can talk?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she also knew that she couldn't stand to go one more day without her daughter in her life, and she really didn't want to miss her grandchildren's lives either. The last thing she wanted was to have a relationship with them like Rory had with Emily. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I can come to dinner tomorrow. What time?"

Rory smiled, thankful for this step they were taking and finally allowing herself to acknowledge fully how much she had missed her mom "How does 6:00 sound?"

"Yeah, 6:00 is good. I uhm will see you then?" Lorelai was unsure of where to take the conversation from here. There was so much bubbling under the surface, but over the phone wasn't the proper way to discuss it. "And Rory?"

"Yeah mom?" Rory responded, hesitant in the reply, unsure of where the conversation was going to go.

"I really miss you." Lorelai started to tear up. She knew this was going to be emotional, but the feelings were hitting her like a tidal wave.

"I miss you too mom." Rory wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I will see you tomorrow."


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long! I have had a major case of writer's block on this story! I just sat down tonight and started writing and the chapter just flowed out. Those darn characters did NOT do what I wanted, and this chapter turned out completely different than my original intent. I hope you enjoy this story and as always, please review!**

 **Also, I have reached out for a beta for this story and got a couple responses. So hopefully we can get this thing going again!**

Chapter 29

Lorelai stood there and stared at the door. She was trying to muster the courage to ring the bell and begin this dinner with Rory. Their first step towards fixing things between them. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy, a lot had happened, but she was happy they were at least starting to move forward.

As she stood there, her mind wandered back to almost 15 years ago when she stood in this exact same spot, ready to have that first Friday night dinner with her parents and Rory. It seemed like just yesterday, not a decade and a half ago, and she struggled internally with how she got here, to this point where she wasn't so comfortable in her relationship with her daughter and best friend where she just walked in the house and announced her arrival with gusto. How did she get to the point where she was standing in trepidation outside of her daughter's house, unable to make herself reach up and ring the doorbell? This time though, she did not have Rory to walk forward and ring the doorbell for her, she had to make that move herself. She took a deep breath and pushed the doorbell and then waited.

The door opened and she saw Logan standing on the other side. He looked more casual than she would have expected in some loose-fitting jeans, a Yale sweatshirt, and no shoes on his feet. She instantly felt more relaxed and felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.

"Good Evening Lorelai, please come in." Logan stepped to the side and made room for the elder Gilmore to come in from the cold. "How was the drive?" he asked as the maid came up behind him and took Lorelai's coat "Hopefully you didn't hit too much traffic."

"Oh, uhh you know, typical Connecticut traffic, stop and go on the Parkway…" She looked around, her nerves showing "…but uhh, overall not too bad." She replied as she wrung her hands and looked around. It was interesting to see all the modernizing updates that Rory and Logan had done to the house she grew up in. The front hall that had always been so formal with the rich wooden walls had been brightened up with a large colorful rug and bright modern art on the walls. The same circular table that had always been there had been given an updated coat of white paint and was holding a large bouquet of colorful flowers.

Lorelai was pulled from her thoughts by Logan's voice. "We ordered Chinese food, it should be here soon. We can go into the front room while we wait, Rory just woke up not too long ago and will be down in a minute." He started walking to the front room and Lorelai followed behind him, still feeling unsure of herself.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I am sure she loves her late afternoon naps. I know I did when I was pregnant with her." They walked into the formal sitting room, and once again Lorelai was hit with the changes the two had made. What had once been a stiff and formal room with antique furniture and large old paintings had been re-painted in an egg shell white instead of the previous darker praline color that had been on the walls before. The furniture had mostly been replaced, a result of Emily selling off so many things before some sense had been talked into her, with a more modern version of the old Victorian era couch. It boasted more plush cushions with the same tight back cushion, crown and raised scrollwork. The ornamental trim was done in pale white wood and the button tufted backrest was a light grey. The cushions were interesting with a floral design but lacked the color that would have made it tacky. Overall, it was one hundred percent Rory, but in a classy and sophisticated way. She saw that managed to save the two chairs that had always sat in the room, but they had been given a facelift and re-upholstered to match the two new sofas. She looked around on the walls and saw that they had also replaced the antiquated sconces on the walls with updated fixtures, yet they managed to keep the spirit of architecture of the house.

"I really like what you two have done with the place. It is very classic yet modern all at the same time. Not an easy design to pull off." Lorelai cleared her throat and looked towards the stairs, anxious for Rory to make her way down. "I can hardly believe this is the same house I grew up in. Crazy."

"Yes, Rory put a lot of work into it. Her and my Mother and Emily spent countless hours looking at paint samples, fabric samples, and upholstery swaths. Apparently, each room ties into the other in some way that most people wouldn't notice unless it wasn't there." He said as he looked around the room. "It doesn't all make sense to me, but I like the outcome."

"Sounds intense." Lorelai deadpanned, uncomfortable with the fact that Rory's life had moved on without her. That she was sitting around with Emily and Shira discussing interior decorating without mocking it just made her brain hurt and she felt completely out in the cold.

"You have no idea." Logan chuckled. "I once walked in on a heated debate between two shades of white for the walls and how one clashed with the couch. I literally could not tell the difference by looking at them sitting out on the table."

Just as Lorelai was about to reply, Rory walked down the stairs to join them. She looked very casual in a pair of black maternity leggings and cotton tunic that stretched over her very large stomach. Her hair hung in the typical straight fashion and fell about halfway down her back, her face had minimal makeup but was glowing. "Good evening mother," Rory began as she reached the bottom of the stairs, purposefully using the formal title as a way to remove herself emotionally from the situation should it go array, "I'm glad you were able to make it. I hope traffic from Stars Hollow wasn't too heavy." She walked into the room and leaned up to give Logan a kiss on the cheek. "and hello to you handsome. Thanks for being down here to play host while I finished getting ready."

Her whole demeanor changed with her interaction with Logan, her body relaxed, her speech was less formal. It was practically impossible to keep the cool façade up when she was around him; he melted her every time.

"No problem Ace, would you like something to drink?" Logan made his way over to the drink cart that still sat dutifully in the corner. "And you too Lorelai, what can I get you to drink?"

"Umm, a martini would be great, thanks Logan." Lorelai moved over to the couch and sat down awkwardly, not sure exactly what to do.

"I'll take a club soda please, I need some bubbles on my stomach." Rory walked over and sat on the couch opposite of her mother. "So, mother, why exactly are you here?" Rory asked. And for a moment if she would have closed her eyes she could have sworn she heard her grandmother's voice come out of her mouth. She knew she was being cold and she knew she shouldn't be so closed off, but the pregnancy hormones and all the hurt of the last several months just hit her all at once and she just didn't have it in her to put on a nice face.

Lorelai was taken aback by the tone of Rory's question. She knew that Rory had changed over the last several months, really since she had left for Yale if she was really being honest. She knew that they had grown apart, but she hardly recognized the woman sitting in front of her. This woman in front of her screamed old money and high society, she had the resting bitch face that her mother had perfected for as long as Lorelai could remember, and she had that look in her eyes that you only saw in the circles that she had ran in over 30 years ago. She looked at her daughter and she embodied everything that Lorelai had run away from when Rory was a baby. Everything she had tried to protect her from. "Well, umm, I wanted to come and extend an olive branch. I know that things between us have been tense and I know some of that is my fault.."

At that Rory jumped in and interrupted her "SOME of it has been your fault? SOME of it? " Rory rolled her eyes and let out a cynical laugh "Try all of it Mother. You threw a temper tantrum when I didn't do what you wanted me to do, and then when I stood my ground and made my own decisions, you cut me off. You cut me off just like you cut off Grandma and Grandpa when you were 17 years old and ran away to Stars Hollow." Lorelai tried to interject but Rory just held her hand up "No, I am talking right now, this is MY house and I am saying my piece."

Lorelai started to interject again but once again Rory just talked right over top of her "All those years ago, you didn't really think about me and a better life for the two of us. All you thought about was yourself, your selfish desire to be as far away from your parents as possible. You ran away with no plan, no money, nothing. We lived in a shed! You worked as a maid! How was that what was best for me? For us?" Rory took a deep breath, she had never realized how deep her feelings went on this subject "If you really had what was best for me in mind, you would have stayed here. You would have sucked it up and dealt with life like a real adult. You would have gone to college and gotten a degree and let me grow up with the best of everything just like you got to. Instead, you ripped me away from all of it, and then expected me to live halfway in and halfway out at the age of 16 when I got accepted at Chilton. I Was so unprepared, I was a part of the world but not really. Do you know how much easier it would have been for me if I had just grown up with them, grown up in the crowd and knew what to expect and how to handle it all?" Tears started welling up in her eyes and she took a moment to take another deep breath.

Lorelai took that moment to jump in "I was suffocating here! You don't understand how hard it was for me. Everyone looking at me, judging me, talking about what a disappointment I was. I had to get away!" Lorelai stood up and began to pace "You have no idea what it was like growing up as a Gilmore. The pressure, the expectations, all of it. It was overwhelming and I didn't want that for you. I wanted you to grow up without all those expectations, without society breathing down your neck telling you how to live your life, who to be friends with, who to marry. I didn't want any of that for you. I wanted you to be free to have the life you wanted." Lorelai looked at Rory, her eyes begging her to understand her decision.

"If that were true, you wouldn't have pushed me to want to go to Harvard from the time I was a baby. And let's be honest, the only reason you made that my dream was because Grandpa was a Yale man and you knew it would bother him to have his only grandchild go to Harvard. You used my future as a way to get back at them for your perceived slights." Rory was feeling her blood pressure start to rise and she could feel the words flowing from her mouth without any real ability to stop them. "If that were true, if you really wanted a different life for me, then you wouldn't have put me in Chilton, a prepatory school FULL of the people that you had ran us away from. If that were all really true, you would have raised me to want to go to UCONN or some other highly respected yet non-ivy league school. You would have kept me from society, not pushed me into it head-on, completely unprepared." Rory looked at her mother, and for the first time in her life she didn't see her best friend staring back at her.

"That isn't how it was for me!" Lorelai responded, her frustration showing through. She had never realized that Rory felt this way, she wasn't even sure Rory realized that Rory had felt this way until recently. "I just needed to get out! I needed to get away and make a new life for us, a simpler life. But I also wanted the best for you, which is why I wanted you to go to Harvard. And yes, maybe the reason I wanted you to go there is because it was completely different than anyone in my family, maybe that is why I pushed Harvard on you. But I really did always just want what was best for you, I still do."

Rory laughed cynically "Yeah. Right. Is that why you cut me out of your life as soon as you disagreed with my decision? You have never wanted 'the best' for me, you have wanted me to do exactly what you planned for me, and heaven forbid anyone ever go against Lorelai Gilmore's plan!" She threw her hands in the air "You do that and you will face snide remarks at a minimum, a childish temper tantrum complete with overly harsh personal attacks, or if you really go against her, she will just pretend you don't exist anymore." Rory got up and walked to the other side of the room, just needing to get away from the situation for a moment, calm herself down before her blood pressure got too high. She already had signs of pre-eclampsia and getting this upset was not healthy for her, or the babies.

Logan took that opportunity to step in. This night was not going the way he thought it would. He had really hoped that the two of them would work things out, but he had also really underestimated the depth of Rory's frustrations and hurt when it came to her mother.

He understood where Lorelai had been coming from when she took Rory and left. So many people he grew up with, including himself, had dreamt about doing what Lorelai Gilmore actually did. Running away and turning your back on all of it. It was every society kid's daydream when relationships with their parents were tense, or they had once again gotten in trouble and were faced with the disappointment filled speeches. But, the difference was that they stayed a fantasy, a daydream you could escape to; they didn't become a reality. Lorelai made hers a reality, and never really dealt with all the hurt and pain that resulted from it.

"Lorelai, I think it is best if you go. It really isn't healthy for Rory to be this upset." He tried to convey in his posture and his tone of voice that he wasn't angry or upset with her, but for good measure he continued on "I know you didn't plan for the night to go like this, I don't think any of us did. But Rory should really calm down and I just don't think she will be able to do that with you here."

"No, you're right. I should go." Lorelai looked over towards Rory, wanting nothing more than to reach out and comfort her, but also knowing that she would be of no comfort right now. "I'm really sorry it turned out like this, it really wasn't why I came. I came to tell you that I love you Rory. You're my daughter and I love you. And I am sorry." She looked over towards Rory one last time, hoping to get some type of positive reaction, but instead she was just met with her back, no movement, no acknowledgement, just silence.

Logan gave her a sympathetic look "Well, let me walk you out." And with one last glance over to Rory, he started towards the front hall, Lorelai close behind him. "I'm sorry Lorelai, I really had no idea this was how the night would go. Just give her time. She is really hurt right now, and she just needs time. The two of you have always been best friends, and I know you two will work this out eventually. But I think now maybe just isn't the time." He hesitated not sure what else to say or do. "I will talk to her though, once she calms down. I will talk to her."

Lorelai looked at the man before her, completely shocked by his behavior. She would have never pegged Logan as the guy who would be playing mediator between her and Rory, and she felt a pang in her heart thinking about all the mean things she had said about him and the even worse things she had thought. "Thank you, Logan. I really appreciate that. My phone will be on. I will be there when she's ready. I know, I screwed up big time. But I want to make things right with her, I really do." And with that she got her jacket from the maid standing by the door silently, pretending like she hadn't heard the entire blow up just one room over, and walked out the door into the cold Connecticut night. And that is when she saw it, the white snow flakes falling from the sky, and it gave her hope that everything would be okay, in the quiet calm that followed the storm, she knew the snow was for her, it was her sign.


End file.
